Chapter fourteen: revelations
It was already Saturday, the day the students were allowed to get to Hogsmeade. Renee joined with Harry, Hermione and Ron to the three broomsticks to drink their famous butterbeer.
"It's your first time to drink butterbeer?" Ron asked in disbelief.
"It's not that Butterbeers were available on the muggle world" she rolled my eyes at him and glanced at the bubbling cup in front of her.
Renee took a sip while the three were looking at her expectedly. The warm liquid was sweet, yet has a slight bitter taste as it goes to her throat. She licked the bubbles on her lips.
She looked at them and smiled.
"It's good" Renee finally said, making a gulp again on her drink.
"Told you will like it" Ron pronounced and grinned.
The three broomsticks were filled with Hogwarts students, enjoying their free day from homework and exams. Renee looked around and saw Neville on the corner, cornered with the Weasley twins. She waved a little and he shyly smiled, the Weasley twins looked at their direction and made a mischievous smile.
As Renee looked back at the trio, they were already staring at her.
"What?" she asked and drank again.
"You're close with Neville" Hermione said.
"Yes, we were on the same compartment before on the train. Why you ask?"
"What do you think in Neville?" Harry asked.
"He's nice friend" Renee mumbled under the cup as I sip again.
"And?" her brunette friend interrogates her more.
"What are you implying?" she faced her.
"Oh, nothing…we just figured you two were becoming closer"
"Oh, don't kid me Hermione…what are you saying?"
Renee looked at them and could see they were expecting her to reveal something.
"You guys were hanging out with Malfoy too much" she mocked in horror. The two boys wrinkled their noses like they smelled something bad.
"We're just friends" Renee finally said. Neville and Renee started to hang out together almost everyday after the incident with Malfoy and telling her secret with him. He taught her herbology while Renee taught him potions, it was really a fair trade; Renee even shared the potions book with him.
They looked at Renee, not even believing what she said.
"And besides, it's not that Neville fancy me" Hermione looked at the other way, trying to hide her smile; Harry looked down on his butterbeer and shaking. Ron was obviously snickering.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Renee frowned. They looked at their confuse friend and saw her serious face and their laugh finally exploded.
"I never thought you would be so dense" Hermione said between laughs.
"Poor Neville" Harry shock his head.
"Lets leave them as that, this is quite entertaining" Ron wiped his tears of laughter away.
The four headed their way to Scrivenshafts Quill shop to buy their stock of parchments. The trio was still teasing her about Neville, though she didn't even get their point there. Renee looked at every wall and store and tried to find something.
I'm sure they could have posted them somewhere if it already happened.
They entered the store and greeted Mrs. Blackwater, the store owner. She got her stock of parchments and an extra quill and ink to buy. Hermione seems to buy a lot of stock of parchments, saying about her homework that made her parchments out of stock. Harry and Ron were still on the quill section, looking for a nice quill.
Renee glanced at Mrs. Blackwater as she placed the items on the counter. She was looking away; her eyes were blood-shut like she hasn't sleep for a week.
"Are you okay ma'am?" she asked. She snapped back and looked smiled at her costumer weakly.
"I'm okay dear, is this all you need?" Renee nodded as she watched the store owner placed the items on a paper bag.
She looked at her right and saw a picture of a girl posted on the wall and slowly went in front of it. She was smiling and waving at the picture, has brown hair until her shoulders and has the same green eyes as her. Renee frosted as she read the headline.
'Missing person'
"How long she's been missing?" Renee asked almost a whisper, it was Mrs. Blackwater's daughter.
She heard a sniff from the counter and saw the store owner was trying not to cry.
"The other night, she went to her friend of hers that night. And she didn't come back. I flooed all of her friends and she wasn't there. I'm so worried. There was some fugitive roaming around here, and she's still missing" she finally broke down and her tears didn't stop flowing. She handed her handkerchief and she accepted it and mouthed 'thank you'.
"I'm sure the aurors were looking for her" Renee smiled at her sadly, trying to comfort her.
"Thank you dear. And be careful" she called back as Renee exited the store.
She leaned at the wall for support as Renee waited for the three to finish.
The girl I dream went missing the other night.
I had that dream a week ago.
My eyes wander far away. Something was wrong, something's not right.
She gazed that the people passing by and someone caught to her attention. Renee followed her, not even waiting for her friends to return. Her subject turned to one corner and she made a distance between them so she won't notice her. The girl entered one pub and silently followed her but two heads from the front doors and blocked her way.
"No minors allowed!" they hissed. Renee glared at the two heads, itching to hex them. She signed in resignation as she peeked at small window and could see her at the bar. She has that same brown hair when Renee dreamt about her.
There is no mistake, that's the third woman I've dream. And she still wasn't caught up. Determined to meet the girl and warned for her upcoming misfortune, Renee decided to wait for her outside. Her plan backfired when someone tapped her shoulder and almost jumped in surprise.
"What you're doing? That's hogs head. You can't enter there" Hermione said.
"Oh, I was just curious…"
"Let's go...Harry and Ron was buying sweets" she softly dragged Renee away from the pub as Renee helplessly looked back.
They talked endlessly all the way to the castle. Renee couldn't made herself joined their happy conversation as she was still engrossed to the little discovery she had earlier.
I need to think of a plan to save the girl.
The four reached the entrance and saw a familiar figure waiting. She wore black robes, not like the usual one she wore; I never know she was fond of wearing black. Her eyes fixed into hers, her lips were in thin line and her face doesn't betray any emotion.
A kind of expression I haven't seen in her in my entire life.
She's the person I needed to see now.
"Follow me" she finally said and Renee nodded in agreement.
"See you later" she smiled timidly at the trio and followed her mother through the corridors.
She didn't speak all the way. She still has that expression that made the girl shiver; a kind of expression that I usually see on a certain person, Snape.
This is a side of Isabel that I've never met, and it scares me.
"Chocolate ice cream" she said in her clear voice as the two in front of headmaster's office. His fondness of desserts in his old age still amazes me.
"Albus," the headmaster looked at them. His eyes were twinkling under his spectacles as always.
"Ah Renee, enjoyed your Hogsmeade trip?" he smiled kindly at Renee.
"Yes sir, I found it very interesting"
"Yes, I believe it is your first time to visit it"
Silence filled the room. The two adults looked at each other.
"Sit down Renee" she pointed the chair next to the headmaster's table. Renee obediently sat and looked at her, pacing back and forth. The headmaster laid three hot chocolate on the table.
"Did you have odd dreams recently?" the headmaster cracked up the silence.
She nodded.
"When was the first time?"
"A week before the acceptance letter came" how did they knew about that?
A twinkle in his eye appeared. "A little early for the symptoms to appear, but still on time nevertheless"
"She was always exception to the rule" a hint of pride and sadness filled her mother's eyes.
"How often you had those dreams?" Isabel asked.
"Once a month and it became once a week, I think"
"I always remember the first time you had those, it was quite fascinating" he turned to Isabel and chuckled.
"In a way, I made those useful" she smirked at him.
I was lost to their conversation, like I was missing a private joke.
"Could you care to explain me what's happening?" Renee looked at the both of them. Those made them stop from reminiscing something that she doesn't even understand. Isabel signed and gazed at the window while the Headmaster took his cup and made a sip.
Finally, Isabel spoke. "Our bloodline…possesses the ability to predict the future, your grandfather's side. We two are the only ones that have that ability, as you know that we don't have any relatives left" her eyes became sad.
Renee opened her mouth and closed it again, still speechless and overwhelmed of the information she was feeding her.
But of course it made sense; her explanation was fitted with my theory.
"It was a real prediction. Unlike Sybil was trying to teach you on those tea leaves" Isabel snorted, trying to hide her disgust on the divination professor.
She looked at the headmaster were still disgust on her face "I will never understand why do hired that mad woman" she shook her head in disbelief.
"I have my reasons, Isabel"
"Of course you always have your reasons, even if I don't understand it" she mocked and rolled her eyes.
"Anyways…the first sign were having dreams, like you had. Your inner eye was already half open based on your signs you're experiencing. Soon you will have vision when you touch on one object as a second stage…until you have the control of it"
"How long will I control it?"
"That…will take time, my dear. I suppose you're already on the second stage now"
Renee nodded, thinking about the dream about the flying seahorses.
"I believe it will take a few more months"
Silence filled the room again.
"We need to make a way to shorten the second stage. The second stage is quite… overwhelming; if we don't, you will have a vision in every thing you will touch. And we were thinking of one theory to shorten that."
"Overwhelming?"
"Let's just say some people either became insane or killed themselves at the peak of the second stage"
She shuddered at the thought of having vision in every thing that she would touch, dreams were already frightening, and the last I would like is to be on St. Mungos. Or is she's just kidding?
"How are we going to shorten it?"
"You need to learn to discipline and control your mind. You have to learn Occlumency"
"Occlumency …as in blocking my mind?" asked Renee.
Isabel nodded and smiled at Renee's wide knowledge about magic. She had been reading a bit about those on the library, Occlumency is a magical defense of the mind against external penetration.
"Who will teach me?"
"That will be me" Isabel took the cup and took a sip.
Renee felt the colors drained my face, training with her means tremendous work every single day. The headmaster smiled as he knows how her training would be.
"No need to hurry about the training. We still have time before the second stage intense. You could have three times a week of training, after classes"
"So we will have Monday…"
"No Monday and Thursday please" Renee suddenly exclaimed. Isabel raised her eyebrow at her daughter.
"Fine, lessons will be on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Will that be sufficient for you?"
She nodded and smiled timidly, thankful that they didn't asked about what's so special about Mondays and Thursdays.
"Wait… I had a vision the other night. Death eaters are going to kidnap two girls. I don't know when it will be but…"
"Tell me, what do you see?"
Renee explained the dreams she had for the last week, and the girl she saw on hogs head. Isabel identified the placed as the hogsmeade and diagon alley as Renee described the place. Isabel began to frown; wrinkles were now forming on her forehead.
"He was already making a move. What are we going to do Albus?" she frantically asked the headmaster, pacing again.
"For now, the only thing we could do is to secure the place. I'll order the other members to guard those" he took his wand and produce a phoenix patronus, whispered a few words and it flew.
"I've already done my best to halt those… and yet"
"No need to blame yourself Isabel, we know very well this is going to happen sooner or later. Where do you suppose to train?"
"Oh I don't know…how about Minerva's classroom?" she suggested, her mischievous smile was in her face again.
"She will be very thrilled to that, Isabel but you have to asked for her permission first" he chuckled.
I'm lost to their private joke, again.
"What happened between you and professor McGonagall?" I need to asked, I'm always lost to them.
"Let's just say we have a very interesting past" Isabel smiled but not reaching her eyes.
"Jokes aside, you have to meet with her" the headmaster's face became serious.
"I was actually making a visit today in her office today. She will definitely throw a fit. Merlin knows what will happen" she joked, making the headmaster laughed and making Renee lost again.
"Do you want me to go with you? I could be a good referee"
"An audience for her tantrum? Sure." She grinned though Renee could still see worry on her eyes.
And so three went their way out of the office, Isabel led the way to McGonagall's office and Renee walked next to Dumbledore
"Tell me headmaster, what exactly Mum and Minerva have?" the idea of not knowing their private jokes irritates me.
"They were friends and rivals at the same time on their Hogwarts days. Their competition was very famous back then" he explained briefly with a smile.
They arrived at in front of Professor McGonagall's office. Isabel removed the wards and just entered, not even knocking.
"You go back on the tower, Renee. I'll just see you on Tuesday" Isabel looked half way with her. Before she could protest, Isabel shut the door behind her and casted a silencing charm.
Renee signed and headed to the Gryffindor Tower and pinched the bridge of her nose, still trying to absorb the revelations. I will definitely have a hectic schedule from now on. I've always hated Divination, and then I finally know that I actually have the ability to predict.
How ironic.