Chapter 8: Fancy

Theo knew by now that her strangeness had less to do with her preferences in significant others and was more related to the fact that she could see the bloody future. Of course she had known this for a while but a part of her hoped that maybe this wasn't the truth; maybe it was all just strange coincidences and freak circumstances. Of course, she was wrong and as she got older she started to develop a bit of an understanding of things. Perhaps the strangest thing she came to understand was that the future was not written in stone. That may sound strange from the perspective of a person who could see the future but it was the truth. Theo thought of it like a tree, where the trunk is the present and the many branches were the different potential futures.

For example, about a year ago Theo had seen the small boy get smacked around by the teacher but because she had foresight, because she was able to see what was coming she could follow a different set of branches on the tree. Theo had two options: interfere or leave it be. This was the first split in the branch. If she let it be her future would have followed a much different path. Even in choosing to interfere, there were many other ways to do so. The branch splits again. In the end, the present we are living is the result of all actions before it and the paths taken. Seeing the future isn't always watching the inevitable, but rather seeing the potential for what could be.

Probably the worst thing about her abilities is the fact that they are so subjective. Theo has done her research on seers and what she learned was that every single one of them is different. They see things differently, they are triggered by different things, and seer is a relatively loose term for a person who can predict prophecies. That is to say, if Theo never states a prophecy it is very likely that she is not a true seer, but rather someone with clairvoyant tendencies. But one thing Theo has learned from her own personal experience is that touching is the number one cause of her visions, though not the only one. Theo can reduce the amount of things she sees by reducing physical contact with people.

However, saying "mom you can't hug me too much or I'll start doing that thing you really hate" is not effective because then that would be really and truly admitting that it exists and that is not something Diane Clarke is willing to do. Even just avoiding casual touches seemed to upset her mother beyond words. And telling James Potter he can't have his way because it makes someone uncomfortable has proven ineffective thus far and as a result Theo is finding herself falling into the strange numbness more and more often before being crudely crammed back into the hard lines of the present. It's frustrating because she knows that people are noticing and not for the first time she has to wonder what she looks like when it happens. She hopes it's nothing strange, she hopes that she doesn't say anything or make it worse than it already is.

Worse still, just because touch is a bit of a catalyst for her visions doesn't mean that avoiding touch prevents them all together. If the "inner eye" sees something then she will too, whether she likes it or not. Avoiding touch seems to only prevent the more mundane of visions. For example she had never touched James Potter and Sirius Black but she had seen them roaming the library one day in Diagon Alley. She had touched Remus Lupin maybe once or twice and she had The Vision as she affectionately dubbed it. She saw some poor Hufflepuff boy getting a letter about his mother dying and some bloke nearly lose an eye to the Whomping Willow. She saw Lily fighting with another, slightly older girl in a muggle house and could only assume they were sisters. She once even saw some Ravenclaw girl get the snot beat out of her by her mother. She went straight to Dumbledore with that and from what she heard through rumors, her parents were being investigated and the girl moved to her aunt's home where she was kept safe.

Theo was glad she could help people with these visions, though sometimes they seemed utterly pointless. Not all visions pulled her in completely and left her feeling like she was being compressed into a bottle that was just slightly too small, some were simple like knowing a pencil was going to fall before it happened or hearing snickers before a joke is being made. She just knew things. It helped her a lot when it came to being bullied because it allowed Theo the chance to escape before things became too problematic. If her gut tells her not to go down a certain hallway she simply won't because perhaps she's just imagining it but ignoring it has proven dangerous in the past.

But the downside was that if Theo is completely immersed in the future, she finds adjusting to the present to be hard. Not just because of the feeling it left but because she seems incapable of complex thought after. McGonagall had told Theo that, much to her horror, when she awoke on Christmas Day in her professor's quarters she had spent the day singing Christmas carols and asking if "they could go build a snowman because that's what Theo did every year." Theo didn't remember most of that day, only becoming aware of what was happening around four in the afternoon. Her hands were numb because she apparently didn't think to dress in appropriate attire before heading out to the castle grounds to build a snowman like she did when she was five.

McGonagall started asking a lot of questions about Theo's home life after that. Theo danced around the topic but what McGonagall had told her weighed heavily in her mind. Theo hadn't wanted to build a snowman since her ninth Christmas because she and her father had gotten into a fight and they were both too proud to apologize. Theo had developed a theory that the more troubling the dream, the more she lost herself.

Unfortunately, her abilities have no consideration for what she's doing or when. Once in Quidditch practice she nearly fell off her broom because she saw them losing their next game because their seeker got hit by a bludger at the last minute. This led to the captain nearly kicking her out of practice and Theo trying to come up with an excuse for her "daydreaming".

In summary, Theo didn't think of this ability as much of a gift, though that is what Dumbledore claimed it to be. She wasn't fool enough to think that the reason he wanted her here was entirely a favor to a friend, but more so that he saw a use for her gift. If Theo had more room to be picky, then she probably would have refused to help but as it stood she owed the old man and he knew it. She could see him waiting on the sidelines for a chance to remind her of her debt, she just didn't know what he would ask or when.

But while this was all very stressful, it wasn't the most pressing thing on Theo's mind. The most pressing thing was the person not so subtly pressing next to her. This wasn't the first time Marta had suggested that they go to study in the library together. In fact, this was the twelfth but Theo wasn't counting. Theo wasn't originally all that upset by this development. She was actually rather excited that one of her roommates wanted to spend more time with her and was all too eager to go with one of the people who seemed to hate her originally. Theo of course wondered if it was a trap or some elaborate prank but after two weeks her suspicions faded and now a month later they were gone.

At the present, other suspicions were rising in her mind like why Marta's entire right side would be pressed to her left and why she was letting it happen. Hadn't that normally been a problem for Theo? Part of her was definitely wary, but the part of her that found touch uncomfortable had definitely been quiet. It didn't happen often. It was still rather awkward to let James hug her and she'd had a month to get used to it.

But here she was, on the floor in some abandoned corner of the library with her roommate who had also taken to sitting by Theo at lunch and smelled like lavender. Marta adjusted so that her leg was resting over Theo's and all questions left her mind as she focused on the contact. How did she get here? Not a few months ago Marta had sneered at her just like Marlene and adamantly ignored her, hadn't she?

Theo thought back to before the holidays and began to think that maybe this wasn't the case. She remembered Marlene's hurtful words and angry glares but Marta was always quiet. Marta looked anywhere but Theo, and never said anything against her. She didn't do anything to stop it, a part of her mind reminded her and while she knew that was bad, what did she expect? Her and Marlene were still friends, and had known each other far longer than Theo was even at the school.

"You ok?" Marta was looking at her now and the lack of distance between their faces was really affecting Theo. She wanted to scoot away a little but the weight of Marta's leg was preventing her from doing so. Instead she opted for looking directly at the book in front of her.

"I'm fine," Theo responded stonily. She didn't know what to think of this. Maybe it was a trick? Maybe Marta just likes to cuddle? Maybe Theo was thinking too much and it's exactly what it looks like.

"You sure? You look a little pale…" Marta lightly touched her hand to Theo's forehead and Theo cringed. Marta pulled her hand back and apologized.

"No, it's fine! It's just… your hand… it was cold!" Theo felt her cheeks heat up at the terrible lie she just threw at Marta but Marta didn't seem to notice. Instead, she rubbed her hands together to warm them up before trying again. Theo blushed at how adorable that simple action was and didn't cringe when Marta reached up to try again with significantly warmer hands.

"You do feel a little warm. Want me to take you to the hospital wing?" Theo refused to look at Marta because then their faces would only be inches apart and Theo wasn't sure she could handle much more proximity so instead she just shook her head. Theo went back to reading, thinking that was the end of it but Marta had something else in mind. Two fingers gripped her chin and turned her head so that they were now face to face.

Marta had really pretty eyes. They were a wonderful brown color that reminded Theo of caramel and milk chocolate. She had incredibly long dirty blonde hair that was thick and straight and looked incredibly soft. She had lips that were a bit fuller than Theo's, and a cute little nose that seemed to curl up slightly at the end. Her skin always seemed to be perfectly tanned and Theo wondered what an actual tan would look like on the girl. She also wondered if Marta ever bothered with make-up because from here she didn't seem to need it.

Theo wasn't breathing, she realized as her lungs started to burn but she was scared to start now. What if her breath smelled? What if whatever was about to happen never did because Theo didn't grab a breath mint after lunch? The thought scared Theo more than suffocating did so she waited for Marta to do something. Just when Theo was sure Marta was leaning they heard three people round the corner of the nearest bookshelf.

"I'm telling you Claire, the Herbology practical was not that –"

Theo whipped her head around to see Isabel, Claire, and Anna all staring at her in shock.

Theo didn't know what to do or say to them because in reality they hadn't spoken for two weeks. Theo didn't notice at first how they were pushing her away, but by the time the second full moon came around they were not subtle in their dismissal. First they would say they couldn't hang out because they had things to do. Then they stopped saving her a place at meals and that was fine. Theo could handle all of that for the most part because in her heart she knew they didn't owe her anything. She hadn't given them any reason to keep her around, and deep down in places she tried to stop visiting, she knew this would happen. At least they still smiled at her when they passed, even if they no longer wanted to walk to class together. At least they didn't hate her.

But the look on Isabel's face wasn't indifference or even a friendly acknowledgement, it was anger. She was angry at Theo and Theo couldn't imagine what she had done wrong. Hadn't this been what she wanted?

"Hey Theo," Claire said hesitantly, as if scared what Theo was going to do. Theo didn't know what she expected because Theo felt glued to the spot with Marta's leg still draped over her own. Theo had noticed said leg stiffen at Claire's greeting.

"Hey guys," she responded with a little too much cheeriness. "How are you doing?" She watched Isabel's scowl grow just a bit at the response. Theo didn't understand.

"We've been good!" Anna seemed to be the only one excited to see her. "Who's this?"

Theo looked back to Marta, who was glaring at Isabel. It was then that Theo realized Isabel's scowl wasn't directed at her, but at Marta. Suddenly Theo felt like she was in the middle of something much older than her.

"You know who she is, Anna. Don't play dumb," Isabel hissed. Theo was sure she'd never heard Isabel sound so toxic. It was a sharp contrast to her normally controlled features and cold voice.

"Must you always talk to her like that?" Marta finally spoke and Theo was surprised to hear the venom in Marta's voice matched that of Isabel's. Theo looked to Claire for help but Claire was looking anywhere but at them.

"Since when do you care?" Anna hissed. Marta face switched from anger to hurt so quickly Theo almost wondered whether or not she imagined the venom in her voice just a few seconds ago. She looked at Anna with wide eyes and her expression changed to something Theo couldn't read anymore. Theo felt like she didn't belong here. This moment was too personal and too filled with hurt.

"Let's go," Marta said as she gripped Theo's wrist and pulled her roughly towards the entrance of the library.

"Theo, don't go!" Isabel's voice, soft and pleading was enough to give pause. She wanted to see Isabel, to talk to her and ask her why. Why had she left? Why wasn't she good enough? She wanted to be. She wanted to be anything that would make Isabel hold her like she used to. She almost turned around, almost gave in like she always did. She felt a bit desperate in that moment and she didn't care at first but when Marta's grip tightened ever so slightly Theo found that ignoring that voice was a bit easier than she thought. If they could walk away from her then Theo could do the same to them couldn't she?

(^^)

Peter adored James Potter. James Potter was amazing. He was handsome, charming, smart, brilliant… really he could go on all day. Sirius was brilliant as well but in a different sort of way. Both were the products of their breeding, but where James embraced what his parents said he was Sirius rejected it. Remus was just as brilliant as Sirius. He works hard and fights his condition to disprove stereotypes. He was making the most of the opportunity Dumbledore had given him. James was brilliant because he was a leader, Sirius was brilliant because he was a rebel, Remus was brilliant because he was a pioneer, and Peter was… Peter. This didn't bother Peter often, because these three brilliant people wanted to be his friend, so clearly he was brilliant too in his own way, right? Peter suspected he was brilliant at observation or at the very least that's why they kept him around because Merlin's beard, they could be so dense.

For example, anyone with half a brain could see that James Potter's attempts at flirting with Lily Evans were laughable at best and downright pathetic at worst. Even Peter understood that Evans wasn't rejecting James because of James himself, but mostly because of the image James was trying to make for himself, the unquestionable leader of the school, the role model, the one the students would follow into battle if need be (there will never be a need but you try telling James that). Anyone who took the time to get to know James knew that he wasn't always a big headed arse, but James didn't let people know him. James wanted adoration; he didn't need understanding like others might.

Another example would be how Sirius Black did not have a clue when he was doing something offensive. One could talk Sirius through the reasons why what he did was rude and hurtful and he would understand, but getting there on his own was impossible. He could rarely even tell when someone was getting upset by his actions until it was too late and they were storming off or punching him in the face. Peter knew that it probably had something to do with that banshee he calls a mother and the fact that Sirius is as emotionally developed as he is was a miracle.

Continuing with the examples, Remus Lupin was just as guilty as the other two. His obliviousness seemed to focus solely on others perception of him. He couldn't see when others were trying to be friendly, or when they were making a pass, or when they were even trying to make fun of him. Remus seemed to take everything at face value and as a result subtlety was completely lost on him. It would be funny if it wasn't so infuriating.

But that was why Peter was there. He was supposed to point it all out for them and have them not listen to a word he says. It was his role in the group and he was proud of it because he could see what they couldn't. Brilliance isn't always recognized for what it is until it's too late, you know. However, there were times when he begged every power that may be for his friends to either open their eyes or listen to him when he told them where to look.

Right now, he's trying to point out that Theo has been acting odd again. She's always a bit odd but this is different. She's acting odd in the sense that she's acting completely normal. She smiles at people when she passes them in the hallway, she started putting her long and messy hair up into high ponytails and (possibly the strangest of all) she let James hug her. She even hugged back each and every time. She also tries to sit with them at meals and talks to Sirius in a civil way.

Peter didn't think much of it the first time in March but it is April now and this is the second time she's done it. Peter can feel in his bones that this is important. He is trying to find the meaning behind her strange behavior and part of it already knows it. Part of him is screaming for him to just open his eyes and see what's right in front of him but he can't.

"I really think something is wrong," Peter whined. He was being ignored by the others. Remus at least seems to be humoring him but he's too tired to do much else. The full is tomorrow night and he seems more worn out than normal. He had fallen asleep during History of Magic and is currently copying Theo's notes since theirs left something to be desired.

"You're just paranoid, Pete." Sirius wasn't even pretending to care, leafing through a muggle magazine that Peter himself had given him. Peter felt his nose twitch just a bit in annoyance.

"James…" Peter turned to his last hope, but he was only staring off in Evans's direction which was probably for the best, since he currently had a mandrake leaf in his mouth. Peter had just finished his month yesterday, and explaining it away to Remus had been harder than they thought. They weren't eager to start another string of lies. Evans was sitting with that girl Marta and Theo who was smiling just a bit too wide. Peter could not fathom how they were missing all the things that were changing about their supposed friend. Remus had an excuse, at least.

"You're staring," Sirius mumbled as he flicked Peter's ear. Peter jumped and sent a nasty look at his friend.

"You noticed it too," Peter hissed. "I can tell 'cause you've been trying to talk to her all day. You never do that."

A look crossed Sirius's face that Peter wasn't familiar with, but in a split second it was gone and he was hissing back: "So what if she's in a good mood. It doesn't mean anything."

"But she's not! She's just pretending!"

"How do you know?"

Peter wanted to list off all of the reasons, like how her laughter sounds just a little too harsh and her smile just a bit too wide. He wanted to say that her back was too straight and her eyes too sharp. Her hair looked too neat and her tie too tight. He wanted to say that everything about her screamed discomfort just like Sirius when he gets a particularly nasty letter from his mother. Peter wants to throw it in Sirius's face that he should know exactly how he can tell because he's seen it all before in Sirius. He wants to, but he can't.

"I just do," he huffed and sunk back into his seat in defeat. He was alone in this, it seems. Sirius puffed out his chest in triumph before turning back to his magazine. Peter looked back at Theo for a final time, determined to reassure himself that this was happening, and was surprised to see she was looking back. She wasn't looking at him, but at Remus who had fallen asleep again on his notes. She wasn't smiling anymore. All the blood seemed to have drained from her face and in this little moment she looked older than thirteen. Peter thought she looked a bit like some of the painting did when news of another disappearance pops up in the Daily Prophet.

Peter tried to forget about it, seeing as no one was going to believe him anyway and had been doing a rather good job of it too until the morning after the full when he saw Theo at breakfast. She wasn't smiling anymore though one could barely tell when her head hung low and her hair covered her face like that. James and Sirius didn't even notice even when they took their spots next to her. She didn't even have any food on her plate.

James went to sling his arm across her shoulder in a side hug that he had given her every meal for the past two days. Despite her clear change in mood, Peter did not foresee Theo violently pulling away and falling back onto the floor in an inelegant heap. She had a strange look in her eyes that wasn't quite fear but almost was.

"Sorry boys," she said in a strained voice. She sat up and planted herself between Sirius and James again before shoveling food onto her late like nothing had happened. "You scared me a bit."

That was enough for James and Sirius, but Peter knew better. Peter could see that something else was going on. Something was pushing to the forefront of his brain but it was still all blurred lines and odd shapes. What was wrong with Theo?

"Rough night?"

Peter thought back to January and how reluctant she was, how fearful of getting too close. When had that changed?

"You could say that."

He remembered how sweetly she spoke to Remus, and how much nicer she was to all of them in February even though she still wouldn't let them touch her.

"Ish okay, ush too."

He thought about how he caught Theo staring at Remus just two days ago…

"How's Remus?"

Suddenly it all clicked into place so painfully that Peter jolted. His friends didn't seem to notice his little breakdown.

"He's doing good. Visiting his mum," Sirius replied before wolfing down some sausage.

Peter felt his face heat up in realization of exactly what this meant. This wasn't good at all.

"Oh good, he did mention missing her."

Theo fancied Remus.

(^^)

Theo knew she wasn't imagining the strange looks that she was getting from Peter recently but she didn't quite know how to bring it up. She didn't know what the looks even meant. He had once tried to mouth something at her but she didn't know what "do you like tea much" was supposed to mean. She tried asking Marta, but Marta focused on the fact that Theo's answer to the strange question was indifference.

"I can't believe this!" Marta was leading Theo through the halls by the hand despite the fact that Theo had already caught up to her. Marta had been in a bit of a tizzy since discovering this small bit of information about Theo and hadn't even given Theo time to put shoes on before she pulled her out of the dorm on a Saturday afternoon.

"What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal? Love, if you're going to be living here, you have to drink tea. It's like a rule." Theo wasn't sure if everyone in this country was this emotionally invested in their tea or if she just happened to stumble across the one brit who lived up to the stereotype. Either way she was content to have Marta drag her about the castle on such a lovely day. It was the first truly sunny day of the year and the air was ripe with new life.

Theo did think to tell Marta that her family hadn't actually moved to Britain but that would mean explaining why she was actually here and there was more to that story than she was willing to share at the moment. This… friendship with Marta was still new and Theo was scared she'd leave too, just like the others had. Theo tried not to think about them often and never asked Marta what she saw at the library but it still bothered her. Theo tried to think of what she had done wrong and why her friends had left her. She had tried so hard to be good for them…

"Finally!"

Theo looked in front of her to see a well painted portrait of a bowl of fruit. Marta was huffing with pride beside her.

"It's… wonderful," Theo tried but even to her ears it was weak.

"Not the painting! It's what behind it that we want."

Marta stuck her arm out and tickled the pear. Yes, that was the only thing she could have possibly done. She wiggled her fingers against the pear in the painting and just when Theo thought Marta had lost it the pear giggled. "Magic is ridiculous," she mumbled as Marta led them through and into the room behind it.

Theo was in awe of what she saw before her. It was the kitchens, she realized as she watched house elves shuffle here and there preparing food and washing dishes and setting tables. There were four tables lined up just as they were in the Great Hall and Theo figured they must be beneath it. Theo had never seen a house elf in person but she instantly found them exceptionally charming. At this very moment there were quite a few flocking to them and asking what they'd like. Theo was a bit overwhelmed but Marta was already giving them each something to do. When they all scampered off to do as they were asked, Marta lead her to one of the tables and sat her down at the end before nestling into the seat opposite her.

"Welcome to the Hogwarts Kitchens. What do you think?" Theo was sure that if Marta's smile stretched anymore it would break her face in half. Theo thought it was rather infectious and found herself smiling back.

"It's brilliant," Theo answered as she looked around some more. Elves were already running back towards them with an assortment of things. One carried a pot, another a tray full of tea cups, others as many tins as they could manage and a final one with their own tray of sugar, honey, and milk. The elves lay it all before them quickly and, after being assured many times by Marta that they did not need anything else, rushed off to continue their work for the day. Theo was in awe.

"Right, time to get started..." Marta was analyzing the tins with a great deal of intensity, as if one wrong move would ruin the whole ordeal. Theo loved watching Marta concentrate, as strange as it sounds. She bit her lip and squinted her eyes despite the fact that she could see just fine. If she was concentrating hard enough her nose would scrunch up quite like it was right now. It was just about the cutest thing Theo had ever seen and she often wondered how such a sweet face could muster the glare she saw that day in the library.

"Marta?" A grunt was given in response. "How do you know Isabel?"

Marta went still, her face falling into something she couldn't read again. It was the same look she had when Anna snapped at her. Theo didn't like this look at all. It twisted her stomach and lodged a lump in her throat.

"She never mentioned me, did she?" Marta's voice was soft. Her accent had changed slightly, Theo noticed. "I don't suppose she would have."

They sat in silence for a second. Theo waited patiently, knowing that the moment she spoke the spell would be broken and she'd lose her chance. She waited for Marta to find the words and maybe the courage to tell Theo about the old hurt that seemed etched into the corners of Marta's mouth.

"I thought she loved me. For a second I really did. We were best friends, but then she said she said something about my not being a pureblood and it was all over."

"But she –"

"Befriended you?" Marta let out a humorless laugh. "She does that. She can't help herself. She can't help but latch on to the underdog. I don't know what it is but she can't leave it alone. She needs them, I think. She needs them to make her feel good. The moment they stop needing her she drops them."

Theo felt like she couldn't breathe. Her bones seemed to ache as she took this information in. Theo wasn't an underdog, she was the underdog. She was the one others looked at with pity and for a second she too had thought that Isabel actually cared about her. Not much else mattered because she had Isabel by her side. She'd thought that, hadn't she? She didn't need much if she had Isabel.

All at once the pain of being abandoned hit her. She hadn't thought about it much because so many things were happening, so many things were changing around her that she hadn't the time or energy to focus on how she had been left alone. A small part of her still hoped that it would all go back to normal someday and she'd have her best friends back.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Don't look like that. C'mere love," Marta hummed as she sat next to Theo and pulled her into a hug. Theo hadn't even realized she was crying into she saw the dark spots on Marta's t-shirt.

"I thought she liked me," Theo whispered.

"I know," Marta whispered back. "It's not your fault, Theo. None of this is your fault."

Theo nodded into her shirt.

"I'm glad you understand," she smiled as she pulled back and wiped the tears from Theo's eyes. "Now, we have some tea for you to taste, don't we?"

Theo found that she was rather fond of tea in just about every form if she poured enough sugar, milk, or honey into it. She liked green tea the most and enjoyed drinking it from little tea cups. The rest of the afternoon they spent drinking tea and talking about anything and everything. This was easy, Theo thought. It was different than it was with Isabel and Anna and Claire. With Marta she felt like she could say the silliest and nerdiest and least flattering things and not worry what Marta would think. She kept testing the limits and each time Marta surprised her with her smile and her laughter and her kind words. Theo felt her heart flutter and her lips pull into a smile that refused to die.

Hello! I hope you are all enjoying the story so far. I'm thinking of writing out some character profiles for my OCs and maybe some other characters in a separate story in the format of drabbles. Just little things I think of through out the day. If you guys would be interested you should let me know!

Also, sorry it's been so long and that what you got was this short chapter but I've been having issues writing out the rest of this year. Fourth year will be an interesting time for Theo and I'm just doing my best to transition to that part of the story.

I hope you guys like it! Please review!