Chapter 4:

"Don't touch me." I snarled at them.

Rosier had the nerve to laugh. I was seething; they were actually going to do it. They were going to force me to do something I really didn't want to do. They cornered me into the bookshelf, my back hitting the books. Regulus rested his hand in a book around my head, caging me, and Rosier was standing in front of me, his face close to mine.

"Come on, little whore, why won't you put out? You have before." He whispered against my face, his breath hitting me.

I moved away from him, slapping his hand away when it started to crawl from my knee to my chest. This was wrong, wrong, wrong. Tears stung my eyes. This wasn't just wrong, it was also my fault. Why did I have to build myself such a bad reputation? I knew it would come back someday and bite me in the ass; I just never thought it'd be this soon. His hands started to push my sweater upwards. Okay, breathe, think of something. I thought as I looked around, I noticed Regulus hand was slacked, almost like he was getting tired. I also could feel my wand getting heavier, like it was begging me to use it. And I would use it; I just had to find an opening.

"Fine," I whispered seductively.

Rosier blinked and Black actually removed his arm from the bookshelf like it had burned him. They obviously didn't expect that answer and I took the opportunity to lean my foot against the bookshelf so it was just one move away from Rosier's groin.

"I've wanted both of you for weeks," I purred. "I've been trying to fight it, but you just said the right things at the right time."

I put my left hand on Rosier's neck and start to pull him closer, the poor boy was still too stunned to do much but what I told him to. One would think the Slytherin boys, members of the darkest house of Hogwarts, would be more willing at a pretty girl throwing herself at them or that they'd at least know how to react. Apparently they were all bark and no bite, or they were still just kids.

"So now, make me yours." I whispered, trying hard not to gag.

Right when my mouth was about to touch his, I brought my knee forward, drawing out my wand in the process, and hit him hard on the groin, making him double over in pain. Before Rosier could recover or Black could react, I turned to the youngest Black and said:

"Conjunctivitus."

He immediately covered his eyes, momentarily blinded by the spell. I sprinted down the aisle, not before pointing at Rosier's wand and muttering 'expelliarmus.' I soon heard footsteps behind me and one look over my shoulder showed me the two of them had recovered and were coming after me. A hex went over my head and I threw a random spell back, not bothering to know if it hit its target or not, by the curse I heard Rosier mutter I supposed it had.

I turned down a corner and tripped with one of the stone tiles of the floor, my knee scrapped but I didn't pay attention. I pushed myself to my feet and kept sprinting. The footsteps kept getting closer and it seemed like this staircase didn't have an ending. Soon the entry to the Gryffindor common room appeared into sight and I almost cried with relief, I shouted the password and the door opened. I went inside and closed the door behind me, closing my eyes as I leaned into it and tried to ease my breathing. My heart was going faster than possible as I finally allowed myself to cry.

"No, no, no," a voice I recognize to be James said. "I'm telling you, we have to do it in Transfigurations. If we pull a prank in DADA my aunt will skin me alive."

I slowly sank into the floor, my back still to the door, and allowed James' voice to calm me down. He and whoever he was talking to hadn't realize I was there, but that was perfectly fine. If James saw me this way, he'd have an aneurism. I was disgusted with myself at how I had acted like I actually wanted Rosier. The mere thought of his hand on my knee made me sob.

"No, your aunt will be mad but McGonagall will actually—Meredith?" the other voice said, suddenly alarmed at the end.

I squeezed my eyes tighter at the voice, my hand automatically going to my busted lip. I heard some rushing from the room, a chair screeching in the floor, the sound of footsteps in the soft rug and then on the wooden floor. A hand fell on my shoulder softly and I flinched, shaking my head.

"Meredith, look at me," He said at the same time James asked what had happened.

I opened my eyes to grey eyes, so grey they almost looked liquid. There were bits of blues and greens in them and I closed my eyes again. They were too much like Regulus' eyes. He was going to die when I told him his little brother almost raped me. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

"I told you to look at me, Meredith," He told me again, this time more sternly.

Meredith. He hadn't called me that in two years. It sounded weird to hear it after so long; there was another wrong thing for the amount of wrong things of the day. I complied and blinked, trying to get rid of the tears.

"Good, now, what happened?" Black asked me again.

My eyes went to James. He was looking at me with widened eyes, his eyes glued to me. They went from my sweater to my lip. I looked down, my sweater was moved so the neck was down my shoulder, the buttons of my shirt were open and my Gryffindor tie was missing. I hadn't even noticed it leaving my neck.

"I was at the library and I saw three Slytherins come in, I eavesdropped on them and was stupid enough to get caught." I explained. My voice was a wavering mess.

James and Black shared a look and I witnessed as they emotions changed quickly. They went from being worried to confused to outraged to livid in five seconds. I raised a shaky hand to my lip again and then hold it out in front of my eyes, there was still a little blood but by tomorrow it'd only be swollen.

"What happened when you got caught?" James asked carefully, kneeling down in front of me as well.

"Snape left, he said I was a waste of time, that they should either kill me or obliviate me." I mumbled.

I then explained everything that had happened, my eyes glued to the floor. I told them everything, from how I had busted my lip to how I had escaped. I even added that we should really check that weird book they were reading, although I was very careful not to say that Regulus had been there. Once I finished, neither of them spoke. I didn't make eye contact, I simply kept my hands together and my eyes glued to them. I should really get a manicure, though.

"We should get you to the hospital wing, have madam Pomfrey give you a relaxing potion, maybe?" James asked me, looking at Black out of the corner of his eyes.

"No!" I exclaimed, finally looking up. "What am I even gonna say? They'll get expelled and then they will kill me."

"She's right; they already threatened her. Besides, she can get in big trouble for entering the Restricted Section and being out of bed so late," Sirius, seeing as though he had called me Meredith I'd call him Sirius tonight (only tonight), said.

James sighed and sat down to my left while Sirius did the same to my right. We should really move. But the hardness of the floor didn't bother me, neither did the light cold breeze that entered through the window. It didn't bother the boys, either, apparently.

"Who was the other Slytherin, Meredith?" Sirius asked me, a frown etched to his face.

I didn't say anything as I turned my head to look at him. He wasn't even looking at me, his gaze was stuck to my scrap knee and the small trail the blood was leaving down my leg. I was barely aware of the dull sting; my lip hurt more, especially now that I had bitten it without realizing I was doing so. I took my wand and muttered a healing spell, we all watched as my wound closed. The only proof that it had existed was a light mark that'd be gone by tomorrow.

"Meredith...you—you practically freaked when you saw me," Sirius started but the thought that had formed inside his head probably terrified him because he never continued.

"Regulus was there, he knew where to locate the book." I admitted.

I didn't think I had ever seen Sirius Black so pale, not eve when he ran away from his own home last Christmas. He turned to face me, his grey eyes widened and resembling a storm. I felt James' hand on my shoulder, although he was gripping it harder than necessary. I didn't understand the message he was trying to get through. Did he want me to support Sirius? or did he want to support me? Or was he simply trying to rid me of my shoulder?

"He didn't do anything, though. I don't think he would've let Rosier do anything if he realized things were going too far, I mean—" I rushed through my words.

"Things went too far, Meredith." He snapped at me before I could even finish. My eyes narrowed dangerously, I hated it when people didn't let me finish, but I let it slide. I had just dropped a bomb on him.

I sighed and turned to James, burying my face in his shoulder and wrapping my arms around his torso. James wrapped his arms around me immediately and I closed my eyes. I wasn't as shaken as I had been before but I knew that now Sirius was also shaken up and James didn't know how to act. So I decided not to give them any more drama, I'd stay here for a few more minutes then I'd pull myself together and go to sleep.

"I'm hungry," James mumbled, his voice vibrating through his chest.

"I'm really thirsty." I mumbled back, having a fair idea of where he was going with this.

At first, we were only met by silence. I pulled away from James and turned to Sirius expectantly. He was frowning at us but he didn't look as bad as before, his eyes weren't as troubled. One glance from the corner of my eye told me James was pouting, actually pouting, at Sirius, so I mimicked him. I gave Black the sweetest most innocent pout I could muster, one that was even more effective than James', although that probably had to do with the fact that I was a girl. The point was, Sirius gave in at second 15.

"Fine, let's go." He pushed himself to his feet and cleaned his trousers, getting his wand out.

James and I did the same, although James offered me his hand and pulled me up, and the three of us went out of the common room. The corridor was empty of any living form, but none of us lowered our wands, just in case Regulus Black and Rosier were still lurking somewhere. The trip to the kitchen took us some time; we had to be very careful not to step too loudly so we wouldn't get caught. I couldn't help thinking how this reminded me of our first four years at Hogwarts, how the three of us would always sneak out at night to the kitchens for a late-night snack, or how I'd always join the four of them with their pranks. After the last semester of fourth year, though, the girls—and by girls I mean Marlene and Mary, God forbid Lily broke a rule.—and I started pulling our own pranks, mostly on the Marauders.

Once we reached the kitchen, we asked the house-elves for a cup of hot chocolate each. They happily complied. We sat down on one of the counters, James to my right and Sirius to my left and simply started talking, avoiding tonight's events at all costs.

"How's plan win-Lily-over going?" I asked James curiously.

"You know?" Black asked me, glancing at James. "How does she manage to know almost all of our secrets?" he directed the last question at James, who shrugged in response.

"It was my idea; I can't believe you took credit, James." I glared half-heartedly at my cousin.

"In that case, the hat's off," Sirius joked. "I've got to admit it's a very nice plan."

"Merci, mon bon monsieur." I bowed my head mockingly, my French accent perfectly fluent.

"De rien, mon amie," he replied. "Je peux dire que—"

"No, no, no." James interrupted, making us turn to him. "The only good thing about you two not talking is that you don't do that."

I busted out laughing and Sirius let out a bark-like laugh that had me laughing even harder. James glared at both of us for a long time but that only made me laugh more. I found hilarity in how incredibly out of character Sirius Black and I were acting. I hadn't given him the time of day in at least a year and a half and now we were laughing uncontrollably, doing the exact same thing we had done time ago. I guessed the circumstances allowed a temporal truce.

"I hate it when you speak French; I never know what you're saying," James mumbled, his glare wasn't as fierce as before so I took that as a good sign.

"You should've learned," Sirius said to him, finally regaining composure.

"Why, but if James decided other languages were useless," I teased, fighting giggles. "Anything that kept him from playing Quidditch was."

"You're forgetting Lily Evans, anything that keeps him from those two is a waste of time," Sirius added.

"I hate you both," James mumbled, making us laugh again.

My unspoken truce with Sirius lasted exactly eight days. The entire school had a heart attack when Sirius and I entered The Great Hall the morning after the little library accident. No one had seen us sit next to each other willingly in almost two years, apparently the fact that James was also sitting with us went unnoticed, and the rumors fled. Some said we were back together, others that James had threatened both of us to behave. What I found most funny was the look on our friends' faces. Peter choked on his toast and Marlene practically spat her juice through her nose. I paid no mind to them.

The day after the week rolled up, we had a surprise visit from someone. Regulus Black walked up to where we were sitting in The Great Hall and asked if I could have a word with him. Eight pairs of eyes stared back at him but he didn't even flinch.

"Why would I talk to you, Black?" I asked him as calmly as I could.

"You know why." He shrugged; unfazed by the glares James and his brother were sending him.

"You won't talk to her ever again, that clear to you?" James growled at him.

"James, calm down," I told him as I got up.

Sirius put a hand in my arm, stopping me from walking away and I turned. He shook his head slightly at me but I raised an eyebrow, he shook his head once more, sending a glare at his little brother. I glared at him until he let go of my hand and walked outside the Great Hall.

"If you know what's best for you, don't tell anyone what you saw and what happened." Regulus threatened me once we were in a secluded hallway.

"Don't you think you're a little late for the threat?" I asked him.

His eyes flashed with something I recognized as anger but also a little amazement, probably at the fact that I had the nerve to talk so boldly to him after what had happened. I was pretty amazed as well. What I couldn't wrap my mind around was how mean he was acting. He hadn't been like this when I first met him and now he was truly an arse. It was so weird; I truly had a hard time accepting it.

"Don't push me, Potter," He growled at me.

"Fine, I won't tell anyone." I rolled my eyes and went to leave but he grabbed my arm.

"Let go of me," I snapped at him.

The corridor we were in was completely empty, so no one would witness if anything were to happen. I didn't care, though. I wasn't scare of Regulus Black. Rosier, was one thing, but Regulus wasn't even much taller than me. And I had more magic knowledge than he did.

"I think you're forgetting I'm older than you and more skilled, so let go off me, now," I told him, narrowing my eyes. I took my wand and pointed it threateningly at him. He looked down at it but didn't let go.

"You're on my list, Potter. Theirs too." He warned me, but I wasn't sure if he was trying to scare me or asking me to be careful.

"I'm not afraid of you," I retorted.

"You should be."

He let go of my arm and walked away, walking down the hallway that led to the dungeons.

"Now, card reading is pretty simple. Even more so than palm reading." Professor Grace said as he walked around the desks, inspecting our jobs. "This little test will give you half an extra point in the next exam; if you're failing it may be the difference between a Troll and an Outstanding."

Some people cheered, others, cursed loudly. Marlene pouted at James, who was her partner, and they both sent me a hopeful look. I bet they wished I was their partner so I could help them, or that I, at least, was a little closer to them so I could whisper the answers into their ears. Unfortunately, I was on the other side of the room. Mary was with Robert Miller, a muggleborn Ravenclaw, who was excellent at Divination.

"I hate this class," my partner, Emilia Greene, said. "I'm never good at anything."

"Why did you take it then?" I asked her, lifting an eyebrow.

"It was better than care of magical creatures." She admitted and I laughed along with her.

One look around the room told me that Professor Grace was making his way directly to our table, no doubt attracted by our laughter. When he reached our desk, he smiled at me. I smiled at him sweetly although I was kind of freaked by it. It was obvious I was his favourite and that sometimes made me feel uncomfortable.

"Alright, Miss Greene, why don't you try to guess something form Miss Potter's past, present and future?" the professor asked Emilia, who turned pale and shot me a look that pretty much screamed: HELP.

I gave her and encouraging smile and she looked down at the three cards before her. She took one and watched it carefully, her eyes going up to my face and back to the card.

"Right, so, um..." she started. "In your past... you once fell down the stairs and broke your femur so you had to be taken to St. Mungo's."

I snorted, trying to control my laughter. It was obviously something invented. Professor Grace's blue eyes fell on me as he tried to suppress a smile.

"I guess that didn't happen?" he asked me and I shook my head. "Try with the present, that's simpler." He advised Emilia.

"Okay, you... have yet to finish your History of Magic essay." Her tone rose at the end so it sounded like a question.

I had finished that essay two days ago, but her grade depended of my answer and I did not want her to fail. One look at Professor Grace told me he was waiting for my answer.

"Yes, you're right. I'm far behind," I said, the lie slipping past my lips.

"Very good, Miss Greene, now try one last time for her future," The professor encouraged.

I watched as Emilia took a deep breath in and lifted up the card, she spent sometime looking at the image in it and then looking at the teacher instead of me. She told him I'd graduate from Hogwarts with all O's and that I'd become a healer. I've never wanted to be a healer but I didn't say that. Then it was my turn, I took the first card to my left and lifted it up. In it was an image of a small hut, maybe one to stay at when it's spring break. I closed my eyes for a second, wondering what this has got to do with the Ravenclaw sitting in front of me, someone I know nothing about except for her name. Then it clicked into place, next to the house there was a huge tall tree, and Emilia had said I had fell down the stairs and broken my femur, that's a very specific bone. I opened my eyes.

"You fell off of the tree that's in the garden of your family's summer house when you were seven, then you healed yourself and that was the first time you showed signs of magic," I told her.

"How in hell did you know? I've never told anyone." She gasped, her eyes widening.

"My third eye," I joked as I squinted my eyes at her.

She laughed a little and looked down at the second card I was lifting, apparently intrigued now. The card was completely blank. I frowned, it wasn't blank five seconds ago, I was sure. What did that mean? That Emilia didn't have a future? No, that couldn't be it. The second card meant present, the third card meant future. I glanced up at the professor, who was looking curiously at me, and then back at Emilia. Okay, relax, just follow your instincts. I thought as I focused on her but looked at the blank card, as always, my brain formed an image all by itself: there was a letter, a woman crying, a funeral, Hogwarts.

"Your parents don't want you to come back to Hogwarts in January," I gasped, shocked.

I was certain this was happening in her life and I also knew she wouldn't come back to Hogwarts after Christmas. Emilia Greene's eyes widened and filled with unshed tears, I immediately knew I shouldn't have said anything. She looked at the teacher and then got up, taking her bag with her, and sprinted out of the classroom, everyone's eyes on her. Professor Grace sighed and closed his eyes momentarily. I bit my lip.

"I—I shouldn't have…" I trailed off, not really knowing how to finish. "Professor, I saw something else." I added, worried.

"We'll talk later, Meredith. Stay after class, all right?" Professor Grace said as he opened his blue eyes and nodded at me.

After class, I stayed behind inside Professor Grace's office and waited for him to acknowledge me. He finally turned from the door, where he had been watching the students go, and walked toward me, his face an unreadable mask.

"Professor, I'm sorry," I immediately said.

"For what?" he asked me, his American accent showing. "You haven't done anything wrong."

I blinked at him as he walked around his desk and sat down, going through one of the parchments around his desk. He scribbled some things down and scratched others, unfazed by my discomfort. I recognized with a start that he was sorting through our next exam.

"Then why am I here, Professor Grace?" I asked him, taking a step forward and sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"First of all, you can call me Tobias when we're alone, Meredith," He said, lifting his gaze from the parchment. "I am just 21 years old, you know. When the students call me 'Professor' I feel like a mummy." He gave me a smile and I giggled.

"Your name is Tobias?" the words left my mouth before I could stop myself.

He lifted his face again, his brown hair falling into his eyes, and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, does it surprise you?" he asked me back.

"Well, I imagined you more as a Linus or maybe Cerberus… Tobias is a biblical name, and you're an American wizard," I answered.

"My parents thought it'd be a nice name, I guess." He shrugged. "I'm going to finish something here and then I'll tell you why I asked you to stay."

I nodded and watched as his focus went back to the parchment in his hands. I let my gaze roam freely around the office. It was, frankly, a mess. It was relatively extensive, with a big window in one side and a smaller one right behind his desk. We were in one of the towers of the castle, which meant that the room was circular. He had a bookshelf that apparently wasn't big enough for all his books, because there were some piles of books around the floor. They were neatly put one above the other so it didn't look messy at all. I read the titles of the books in the pile nearest to me and frowned. They were about many topics but none about Divination. The other pile was the same. Why was he a Divination teacher if he didn't like the subject?

"All right!" he suddenly exclaimed, making me jump. "Professor Shirtcliff sent me a letter a few weeks ago."

I inwardly groaned. This was unbelievable, that woman was making my life miserable without even being in it. I had seen Professor Grace, Tobias, as an exit. He didn't know me; he didn't have a crazy feeling that I had the gift of sight. It was supposed to be a new beginning. On the outside, though, I gave Professor Grace an interested look and waited for him to continue.

"She informed me of her interest in one particular student, one that truly had the gift," He started. "That student was you."

He paused for a moment, waiting for some kind of answer from me but I remained silent. After a while, he decided to continue talking. He took an old piece of parchment from one of his drawers and read over it.

"Yeah, here it is. She goes on and on about how I should help you embrace the gift. Honestly, I didn't believe her. I don't think she knows what she's really talking about, I thought you were the one who came up with the theory, trying to get her favoritism." He elaborated further and I frowned.

"I would never do that," I told him harsher than intended.

"I know that now," he said. "I watched for a few classes and—"

"You think the same thing," I raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm a seer, that I have the gift of prophecy or whatever."

He nodded and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. He might be 21 but he was still my professor. I got up and grabbed my bag, throwing it over my shoulder. Professor Grace eyed me carefully but I avoided his eyes at all costs.

"Can I leave, Professor? I already know what you intent to say and I already know the answer."

"Meredith, you don't get it. What you did back there, what you've been doing every class," He told me as he got up. "That's real talent, if you don't control it, you might start having visions about the simplest things; that can be dangerous," He explained, his hands pulled together, trying to make me understand.

"I don't believe you," I retorted, voice wavering.

"Your card was void of any image and yet, your prediction was so accurate Miss Greene couldn't bear it," he insisted.

I bit my lips and looked down. He was lying, everything was a lie. I was simply good at school; I simply listened to my intuition.

"I refuse to believe it is true," I mumbled, looking up and locking eyes with the professor. "Because that would mean… that would mean—"

"What, Meredith, what would that mean?" he asked me.

"That would mean Emilia will die," I finally admitted, eyes widened.