Chapter 13:

Home, sweet, home, I thought as I flopped into my bed at Hogwarts. I had missed this place so much. I sighed and cuddled into the comforter, stretching my legs and practically purring.

"You okay there, Mere?" Lily asked, laughter etched to her voice.

"Mhm, I'm never leaving this bed again." I sighed contently.

The laughter of my roommates filled my ears. I allowed a few giggles out. I ran my hand over the soft material of the cover, enjoying the way the scarlet fabric felt under my fingers. After six years, it was only natural for me to consider Hogwarts home. Here were my friends, my family, my teachers, I spent most of my time here, only going home on vacations, of course it felt like coming home every time the train stopped and we hopped off and ascended the way to the school on the carriages. My trunk was abandoned at the foot of the bed, I'd sort through it later. For now, I'd simply lay here and maybe take a nap. We had already gone to dinner but it was relatively early, which meant the girls would soon go down to the common room to hang out for a while before coming to sleep. I had plenty of time to sleep.

"I'll take a nap, girls." I informed them, getting another laugh out of them.

"Sweet dreams, Mere." Dorcas teased as she closed the door behind her.

With that, I turned around, hugged my pillow and closed my eyes. I didn't have 'sweet dreams' like Dorcas said. In fact, I had the worst nightmare ever. It was filled with fear, dread, darkness and cold. I woke up with a start, heart beating hard against my ribcage. I couldn't remember what exactly had been my dream; the moment I opened my eyes I could feel it slipping away into my subconscious, lost probably forever, but the feeling remained. I wanted to cry but tears never came, so I simply sat there, unmoving. After a few minutes of stilled terror, my heart finally calmed and the knot on my chest disappeared, allowing me to breathe again normally. I'd never felt such dread in my life.

Suddenly, the door opened a crack, the sounds of laughter and chatter from the common room entering along with the warm light that came from downstairs. I realized I couldn't have slept for more than half an hour, the common room was still buzzing with excitement. A figure entered the room and closed the door behind it, I panicked and grasped my wand tightly.

"Meredith?" the figure asked, moving around to turn on the lights in the room.

I sighed and lowered my wand, putting it on my bedside table. The soft warm lights had illuminated the entire dorm, allowing me to see my new companion in the room; it was only Marlene. Her hair was in soft ringlets that went down her back and her face was devoid of any make-up for the first time in a very long time. She slowly went to her four-poster and sat down, her eyes looking down at my abandoned trunk. Her bed was next to mine but there was a long stretch between them because of the big window that was right in-between my bed and hers. We looked at each other but none spoke. I wanted to scream 'I'm sorry' at the top of my lungs and ask her to be my friend again, but I wasn't sure if that was what she wanted so I was not about to push it. Besides, I was still a bit hurt by everything that had been said and done last trimester.

"I'm sorry." We blurted out at the same time.

"No, I'm sorry." We repeated.

"I shouldn't have blamed you for the break-up. It was my fault." Marlene apologized, leaning closer and putting a hand to her chest to emphasize that it was her fault indeed and not mine.

"And I shouldn't have been jealous and I shouldn't have given you that ugly book as a birthday present, I was way over line." I apologized, jumping on my bed to face her. "You had every right to date Sirius, I was being stupid." I shook my head.

"No, no," she interrupted. "I should have asked if it was okay. I know how much he meant to you, it was wrong of me to simply go on and date him."

"I miss you." I pouted.

"I miss you too!" she said, jumping to my own bed and hugging me tightly.

It took me a few seconds to realize I had tears in my eyes and a whole minute to realize she had them, too. It was okay, though. This year had sucked and we had a right to cry. We hugged for a very long time, both of us glad to know we were friends again. Lily would be ecstatic and this also meant we'd finally be all together, all friends and no drama.

Next day when we all went down for breakfast, people in the Great Hall couldn't believe their eyes. Marlene and I had been sworn enemies five minutes ago and now we were as inseparable as always. Nobody would've thought something had happened.

"Okay, so I was thinking we should start planning your birthday party," Marlene said as Lily and I sat in front of her in the Gryffindor table.

I looked up from my goblet of orange juice and blinked at the eager faces around me. Lily was smiling broadly and Dorcas had one of her elbows on the table, her chin resting on her hand.

"Oh, no," I shook my head. "I don't want a party." I denied kindly.

"Why the hell not?" Marlene demanded, looking almost insulted.

In that moment, the Marauders came strolling down towards us. They flopped down next to us, James next to Lily and Remus to my side, while Peter and Sirius sat across us. They wore big grins in their faces. I noticed, relieved, that Marlene and Sirius looked completely comfortable around the other, which meant they had fixed their own problems.

"I don't feel like partying." I answered Marlene's question from before.

Everyone turned to me with a confused look. I rolled my eyes. Was me not wanting to party really that hard to believe? I supposed it was. I huffed and went back to my breakfast, trying to look like I wasn't bothered by the eyes trained on me.

"You, Meredith Potter, the girl who demanded her birthday be celebrated throughout the prior week, does not want to party?" Dorcas clarified, her eyes widened.

"Listen, I just don't understand why we're planning it now. My birthday is in February." I retorted.

"And it's January, we have to start planning now." Marlene exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes and abandoned my breakfast all together. Exactly, my birthday was one month away. Why bother with this?

"Well, Lily's birthday is at the end of the month and I don't see any of you running to plan her party." I protested.

"That's because I've never celebrated my birthday the way you do." Lily replied quickly, without battling an eye.

"You really don't want a party?" James asked, crest-fallen. He shared a look with Sirius before looking back at me.

"I really don't want a party." I nodded. "Maybe, let's just cut a cake and that's that."

"But… you always want a party." Peter frowned.

"Yes, but this year I don't." I grumbled. "We'll make a huge deal out of Remus' this year." I waved at Remus, whose smile fell.

"We can't… I'll be visiting my grandma in St. Mungo's that day. She's very sick." He excused.

I frowned before realization dawned on me. I turned to face him with an apologizing smile. This year, his birthday fell on a full moon, talk about misfortune.

"Well, then we'll take James' to the next level." I suggested.

James whole face lit up at that and I laughed. He then turned to Sirius and they started to talk about what they could do for his birthday, which was on March. Marlene soon joined in and so did Peter and Dorcas. Lily, however, kept her eyes trained on me.

"What's the real reason, Mere?" Lily asked me, her voice low so the others wouldn't hear.

"I'll tell you later." I promised with a small smile.

That was a sufficient answer for both her and Remus, because Lily turned to her breakfast happily and Remus tuned in the conversation about James' big birthday party. The topic of my odd behavior was not addressed again, at least not while I was present.

…..

"Very well, class, that's all for today." Professor Grace called as everyone started to close their books. "Remember to hand in your homework next Tuesday."

Nobody answered him as they got up and started to walk to the door, most of them already chatting about they're vacations and what they were planning to do with the free period they had after this class. I fumbled with my bag as I got up from my desk, ignoring my new partner, and tried to make my way towards Tobias Grace.

"Mere!" Marlene called as she saw me going on her opposite direction. "What are you doing? We're supposed to meet with Dorcas now, remember?" she asked, making me halt.

"Yes, I won't be able to make it. Sorry, Mar. You guys go through it without me." I widened my eyes at her.

She got the hint and left, trying to suppress a giggle. James lingered, though. I sighed and made my way towards him. He frowned at me with a worried glint in his eyes.

"I was—I wanted to talk to Professor Grace about… you know what." I lowered my voice at the end, not wanting anyone to overhear.

He understood immediately and nodded, running his hand through his hair.

"Of course." He nodded. "Let me know what he told you, all right? No matter how bad it is." He asked and I couldn't find a way to say no.

After I promised that I would in fact tell him everything, he threw me one of his dashing smiles and happily left, probably to see where Lily was. With a trembling breath in, I turned on my feet and went to Professor Grace's desk.

"Professor? I have a free period now and I was wondering if I could talk to you about something that's been bothering me." I requested with an anxious edge to my voice.

His eyes told me he already knew what I wanted to talk about and his nod toward his office only confirmed this. I trailed behind him, noticing the way some people glanced at us with furrowed brows and whispered between them. The moment he closed the door of his office, I relaxed a bit and sat down in front of his desk. The desk was much more organized than the last time I'd been here; I supposed that was because this trimester had just started.

"I heard the news." He started, walking to his chair and sitting down behind the desk. "It was confirmed to me by Dumbledore when he delivered the news to all of you. I had been hoping it was a lie, to be honest." He shook his head, a sad edge to his voice.

Our first day here, Dumbledore had given us a welcome back speech with a sad tone and the news that Emilia Greene had passed away. He assured us that she had gone down bravely, just like her parents, and that she'd be greatly missed. He also repeated twice that it was nobody's fault but the Death Eater's and I couldn't help but wonder if he knew about my little situation. Everyone had taken the news in their own way. Most of us already knew, of course, so it wasn't such a hard blow. Others, however, had been close friends with Emilia and it had been tough for them to have their Headmaster mention her death. The mood was not as festive as always after that. Now, three days later, the mood around the school was still a bit gloomy but most people had returned to their normal behavior.

"It happened just as I said it would, in the exact same day, at the same hour." I looked at my hand as I folded them together and squeezed them.

"Yes." He agreed. "I'm afraid it did. Have you seen anything else?" he asked.

"A long time ago, when I was thirteen. It's nothing, though. I guess you could put it down to wishful thinking… or maybe just a dream." I dismissed. Professor Grace perked up at that. "I've guessed other stuff through the years. My friend Marlene likes it when I use that… peculiar ability to guess what other people are going to give her for her birthday. I tell her whether she's going to like it or not. I knew Peter was going to fail Muggle Studies before he even thought of taking them, although I suppose that could have been a lucky guess. Peter has trouble with a lot of his classes, sadly. I knew Snape would throw his friendship with Lily out of the window for his reputation the moment I saw him in our first year, although I didn't have the slightest idea of who Lily was. I simply knew the boy was called Severus Snape." I counted with my fingers, finally letting it all out.

"You never told anyone about this?" he asked me.

"Why should I?" I shrugged. "They weren't big stuff, they were just little things. Besides, they wouldn't believe me. Only when I started taking Divination did my friends started to realize my guesses were staring to be eerily accurate. I told Sirius about my dream but only because he pried it out of me, otherwise, he wouldn't know." I explained.

"That dream, the one you first mentioned. It was a big thing? It must have, I mean, you mentioned it first." He asked, entwining his hands together and leaning into the desk. I simply nodded. "And it came to you in your sleep." He added and didn't continue until I nodded. "What was it?"

I bit my lip and looked down. I couldn't tell him. I had already said too much about the other stuff. I couldn't possibly tell him I had dreamt it would be declared that we'd win the war even if it felt like we had lost it. When I dreamed that, Lord Voldemort was nothing but a distant threat, a young wizard that was getting too powerful for anyone's liking, but there was still no threat of war. I hadn't even been sure who Voldemort was. I had told Sirius immediately, the next day, actually, but only because he had gone down to the common room at 3: 00 A.M. and had found me paralyzed with fear. He was the one who told me who Voldemort was and I had demanded all the information my parents had on the subject the day after that. I made him swear he wouldn't tell anyone about it and he kept his promise. A few years later, when war struck us for real, we didn't talk about it because we were fighting at the moment but I still noticed the glances he threw my way, almost like he was realizing my nightmare was coming true.

"I can't tell you." I denied. "It's too much and it hasn't happened yet, at least not all of it."

"Some of it has already happened?" he questioned.

"Yes," I said.

He nodded and got up, walking to my side of the desk and leaning into it by my side with his arms crossed.

"Meredith, you must tell me. We might be able to change the course of things, or at least warn Professor Dumbledore so we don't keep on going on blind eyes." He explained, a serious look on his face.

"I dreamed we'd go to war because an arrogant wizard believed he and his people were above everyone else." I snapped.

"And what's next? Do we win? Do we lose? Is that what you saw, Meredith? Are we going to lose the war?" he demanded, his eyes widened and his tone filled with a bit of desperation.

I got up suddenly from my seat and grabbed my bag, shaking my head.

"I'm done talking." I announced. "I did not come here to tell you you'll die or something, I came here seeking advice on how to stop these things from happening again but if you cannot help me then I will go to Professor Dumbledore," I said coldly and I was sure my tone would have made any Slytherin proud.

With that I turned on my heels and made my way to the door but Professor Grace's commanding voice stopped me. I turned around slowly, dreading what he'd say. I didn't want to get detention or cost my house any points but I had definitely misbehaved.

"You're right, I'm sorry." He apologized. "Sometimes, talking about what you see helps, especially if it's about things such as war and death. I admit I got carried away but I don't want you to go through what happened to me." he explained.

"What happened to you?" I asked curiously.

He gestured to the chair and I went to sit back down, my schoolbag abandoned at my feet.

"In America, Divination is a core subject." He explained. "I was always good at it, which wasn't surprising because my family had a history of having seers. I'm not saying I am a seer per say, I'm saying I had a quality to it. After a while, I didn't just predicted things in the classroom, I did it all the time. I simply blurted things out and they happened. My friends thought I was a freak and left me. After a while, I sought aid in one of my teachers. The reason why I hadn't been able to control it was because I never talked about it seriously."

"My friends will never abandon me," I said fiercely.

"I realize that now." He smiled. "But you never know how things might turn down in the end."

The way he said it made me wonder if he knew something I didn't. I didn't ask him, though. The way he was behaving was starting to freak me out. I did not like that hungry glint in his eyes every time he realized I had vital information about what was about to come.

"I'd like to apologize for my behavior before. You are my teacher and I had no place disrespecting you like that." I apologized cautiously.

"If you want to go to Dumbledore for help… it might help you. I'll understand." He nodded.

"No, it's fine. It's just… you showed me the reaction I fear the most out of people." I elaborated.

"And I'm sorry for that." He nodded. "Don't tell anyone about this, though, Meredith. You don't know who you can trust or not, at least not in a war, and a gift like yours can be dangerous to have. Now, if you excuse me, I have papers to grade." He dismissed me.

I got up and left the office, confused. It was the beginning of the trimester and we did not have any exams yet, which meant he had no papers to grade. I wondered why the sudden change of emotion and if I could trust him or not. He had been eager to learn more about my dream but then he had suddenly dismissed me. I still didn't get why talking about it could help. If talking about it meant I'd get reassurance words from the kind ear listening to me, then I'd be all up for it, but Professor Grace confused me and worried me more. And I did not like his thirst for knowledge. He was clearly interested on what was going to happen a little too much for my liking.

I looked at my watch and realized I was already late for my next class, so it wouldn't make a difference if I made my way towards Professor Dumbledore's office. I faltered on my step, when I realized I didn't know the password and that the gargoyle would not let me in. The boys and I had stumbled across the office one time when we were following the Headmaster, curious as to why, of all the professors in the school, his office was the only one nobody knew where it was located.

"Hello… you incredibly big thing." I started awkwardly as I looked up at the gargoyle. "I know I've got no password, silly me, but I really need to speak to Professor Dumbledore about something. It's a pressing matter." I excused myself.

The gargoyle didn't move, nor did it appear to have heard me but I knew it had. I huffed and crossed my arms, wondering what the password would be. I continued to say a bunch of words, some were older passwords of the Gryffindor entrance, but none of them worked.

"Oh, come on! I really need to enter!" I exclaimed, putting my hands up. "No? So you've got no heart? You're a mean gargoyle; all the other gargoyles are going to be mean to you because of this." I pouted but still got no answer. "Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is the coolest and prettiest Headmaster in Hogwarts' history?" I asked, trying not to laugh at my own stupidity. I could not believe I was sucking up to a statue.

"Although I'm most flattered, Miss Potter," A voice behind me said, making me jump and twirl around. "I'm afraid that is not the password."

There stood none other that Professor Dumbledore himself, with silvery long robes and his twinkling blue eyes that always seemed to know what you were thinking. I blushed and looked down.

"I am sorry, Professor, but I wished to speak with you." I tried to repair the damage done.

"Yes, I was wondering when you'd come." He nodded. "I understand Professor Grace could not give you the advice you were seeking?" he asked, walking towards me.

I shook my head in the negative and he nodded, putting a hand on my right shoulder and turning me to face the gargoyle.

"Chocolate tarts." He announced to the gargoyle.

It immediately turned aside and revealed a long circular staircase. We went up and my mouth fell open the moment Professor Dumbledore allowed me into the office. It was a huge circular room, with two stories, a fireplace, a big desk with a very big, very comfortable-looking chair behind it, two chairs, one couch and a bunch of little artifacts that were too many for me to really appreciate. Along the walls were the famous portraits of all the other Headmasters that had already retired or passed away. Dumbledore went to sit behind his chair and signaled for me to sit in front of him, in a surprisingly puffy chair.

"I know most of what troubles you but, since I have not heard it from you, I'd like for you to explain yourself," He said, looking at me over his half-moon glasses.

I told him exactly the same thing I had told Professor Grace, adding how I was bothered by said Professor's reaction and that was why I had sought aid in him. He didn't seem offended by this, much to my relief. He simply listened with a kind smile and like all of his focus was centered on me, which I liked to think it was. Then he nodded and pondered over my words.

"You must know, Miss Potter, that Professor Grace has not betrayed your trust by telling me about your situation. I thought it needed to be said. Professor Shirtcliff let me in on your situation before leaving." He started, leaning into the table and making it look like he was sharing a secret with me. "I am afraid, however, to tell you that there is nothing to be done. The gift of the True Sight cannot be stopped, nor can it be, well, for a lack of a better word, cured. Eventually, you'll learn how to live with it, how to control it, so to speak." He explained, looking truly sorry about this.

"So I'll have to make peace with the fact that I may as well predict my friends' death?" I asked, baffled.

"My doors are open, were you to need any kind of advice or if you simply want to vent." He gesture with his hand to the door. "Your predictions, as you put them, may not always be of death. Who knows, maybe you'll predict something magnificent about your loved ones. But remember, Miss Potter, do not tell anyone about the things you see, dream, write or even draw; at times like this, we don't know who is our true friend." He warned me with a lifted finger.

I frowned. I couldn't tell anyone? Not even James and Lily? Or Sirius? I mean, they were the only one that truly knew the extent of the accuracy of my 'guesses', they deserved to know the truth, didn't they?

"But, Sir, my cousin… he… well, we tell each other pretty much everything."I protested.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black are very keen on knowing what's going on with you, so is Miss Evans, if I'm not mistaken." He nodded. "You may let them in on a thing or two, but never tell them everything. Knowing too much can be a dangerous thing."

"Thank you, Sir." I smiled softly, much happier with how this conversation had turned out. "Would it be okay if I came here later? I mean, if I were to have another of my guesses, Sir?" I asked hesitantly.

"Of course, Miss Potter, as I said, my door is open. I will send you a parchment when I change my password so you are free to come without having to blackmail the gargoyle." He smiled and I blushed slightly, embarrassed. "Now, off you go. We don't want you missing dinner, now do we?"

With that I got up and walked towards the door, feeling like the entire world had been lifted off of my shoulders. I reached the door and opened it, smiling at one of the portraits above it. I was about to leave, when Professor Dumbledore's voice made me halt.

"Oh, and, Meredith, remember: no matter what you see, it will never be your fault." He told me softly. Emilia Greene's death and my reaction to it passed my mind and I lowered my eyes before nodding. He was right. I had no control over the future. "It does not do good to dwell on what is yet about to come, Miss Potter." He added solemnly and I knew the conversation was done.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore." I smiled at him, truly thankful for this meeting, and with that I finally left.

A/N: hello, my lovelies. kind of a filler chapter this one but, oh well. it all needed to be said, next chapter will be a tad more exciting. now, the important matter: I'm on vacation on this tiny island where the definition of strong wifi is none exsistant, which unfortunately means I won't be able to post here or any of my other stories unless I manage to find a good wifi. this doesnt mean I'm not writing, promise. anyway, just wanted to leet you guys know about this. thanks you to those who reviewed, favorited and followed the story, it means a lot to me.

love,

me.