The rest of the day passed an without incident. Until I reached Divination. Somehow, today I had the misfortune of having it in the last hour before dinner. I was walking with Bellatrix and Cissy towards the room, when my stomach began to feel queasy. I already knew this as a sign of the future showing me something today. I groaned in response to the uneasy sensation I felt as I walked into the room and sat down.
Soon after I felt as my skin began to get clammy, blood rushed to my cheeks, as they began to get heated, and my head was beginning to get fuzzy. Trying to ignore the flashes that began to show in my mind. Time seemed to stand still as the glass ball was slid onto its stand in the middle of the table. I hadn't even noticed that Bellatrix and Cissy had been replaced by Tom and Billy Avery.
I was too entranced by what began to flash before me. There were too many flashes of uncertainty at the apparent moment, which to my surprise the only glimpse that I managed to understand is that it involved Tom and me. When the flashes in the blue smoke stopped, I looked over at Tom, breathing short harsh breaths before forcing the words out.
"Tom, get me out of here." I whispered urgently, as I felt the fuzziness in my brain disappear and the heat in body descend.
I saw him stand from the corner of my eye; I took three deep, calming breathes and opened my eyes once more. I looked over at a nervous Billy and sighed, sighing before I spoke.
"Tell everyone to meet in the forest as soon as possible. If I am not there I will get Tom to deliver my message to you all." I said, standing up as I felt something hot, and wet begin to pour out of my nose, to the top of my upper lip.
I quickly wiped my face with the back of my hand and began stuffing the things I used into my bag.
"Are you okay, Anna?" Tom asked me carefully, as I continued to stuff my things into my bag.
"I've been better." I said dryly, getting up and walking out of the room, heading down the stairs in a hasty pace.
I quickly made my way to the dungeons, towards the Slytherin common. Once I stood at the stone wall's secret passage, I quickly whispered the password and made my way to my room, flicking my wrist as I entered my room to light the hearth and the torches around the room, before locking the door behind me.
I then proceeded to go to my trunk, and pull out the picture of my parents that Grisha had given me. I had already explained everything to her this morning, when I ran into her this morning in the library. She seemed be put off at first but then nodded her head.
"Remember, that sometimes saving someone could mean losing part of yourself forever, Sophie. Please be careful. The girls and I will miss you, I truly hope you're doing the right thing, I really do." She said as she hugged me before leaving for breakfast.
Those words reeled in my mind for the rest of the day, up until Divination just now. I remembered that Parkinson was still in the hospital wing unconscious and decided to go see her, to 'check up' on her condition, before heading to the dorms.
I made my way towards the infirmary quietly; my mind wondering what I was about to do, wondering if it was the correct thing to do. I remembered what my mother had told me in the vision a couple of weeks ago. She had said something along the lines of destiny, although everything seemed murky. Too murky, as if the future was now unsure of itself, that alone had me on edge.
I walked into the infirmary, stopping by Madam Noelle's office to ask for permission to see Parkinson, asking if they had any idea what had happened to her. The only response I received was:
"We aren't sure what happened all we know is that Peggy could be transferred to St. Mungo's if she doesn't snap out of it soon." Madam Noelle said, distractedly.
I smirked wickedly to myself as I slowly made my way over to where she laid unconsciously, her limbs twitching every once in a while. I looked around the room, checking the potions that had been administered to her. They varied from sleeping draught, to a pain relieving potion. I shook my head at the variety that sat on the stand right next to her bed.
'They might as well have been giving her water with all the good they did to her.' I thought, as I stood at the foot of the bed.
"Converterent alica semel emissum sit cura semel illata doloris." I mumbled under my breath as I watched her limbs twitch once more in agony.
I then turned my back on her and made my way back to the Slytherin common room, feeling the events of the day being to wain on me. I slowly sat down on the leather lounge chair and plopped down onto it tiredly. I closed my eyes, and focused on what I had learned from the book I read earlier.
Breaking the Barrier of the Mind, and Breaking down Mental Barriers.
Occlumency may be a strong force of magic but all magic had a way around it, the key to that, was to find a weak point. Which means finding the weakness within each mind.
The thing I was striving to find now was Tom's. I craved to know what was in that brilliant mind of his. I've known of his plans, but I craved to know what transpired as he developed those plans, what steps he took, not to use it against him but simple because as Tom had put one day, knowledge is power.
Now I knew this was below the belt but the only thing I came up with was talking about his blood status. All I had to do was make him feel actual pain, and then I could easily break those barriers.
"What are you thinking, so hard about, that has got you so tense." Tom's voice asked, as he walked into the common room.
"I can't see the future, Tom. Something is so unstable that the future itself has become unstable." I said, looking at him before resuming my watch of the emerald flames.
"How so?" He asked sitting down in the large arm chair across from me.
"I've been getting flashes all day today. My stomach hurts, my head hurt a little now, and my nose has been bleeding. Everything is so chaotic that I am not even sure what's going to happen." I explained, without moving my sight from the emerald flames that danced around in the hearth.
He opened his mouth to begin something when we both heard the door to the common room swing open. Loud footsteps, or rather stomps, echoed in the entire room as we both listened waiting to see who matched the steps.
"It's Parkinson." I said, as I 'saw' her stomp her way in here. Tom smirked at me, and nodded in response.
"Where is she?! Where is that stupid little mudblood girl that fancies herself a pureblood?!" She screeched, as her stomping continued.
She waddled her way towards us. I almost smirked at her anger. Key word being almost. I watched as she walked unevenly towards us, her eyes blazing as she saw our position.
"What did you do to me?" She growled, her hand twitching.
I smirked at her, pushing through her mental barrier easily, seeing as she is a superficial dimwit, it wasn't that much of a push. Looks like I found my new guinea pig. I smirked in satisfaction as I adjusted her memories and replaced them.
"Me? I haven't the slightest idea as to what you are talking about, Parkinson. I haven't seen you since this morning when you tried to hex me. Tom, here, managed to stop you before anything serious happened, which caused you to leave promptly. We were all at breakfast when we received the news you had been attacked in the corridor. Do you know who it was?" I asked, in fake concern, looking up at her innocently.
From the corner of my eye I watched Tom smirk at me before we turned back to look at Parkinson.
She looked dazed and confused as she watched us for a second.
"I-I can't remember. I don't even remember getting to that corridor." She said, frowning.
"You were found in the corridor that leads to the Great Hall. I'm pretty sure you were going in for breakfast." Tom inputs in the same fake concered tone.
An idea struck my mind, what if I didn't need to penetrate Tom's mental barrier but found a way around it? The book itself said it wasn't impossible but it might be difficult. I just need to concentrate. With deep concentration, I closed my eyes, and clenched and unclenched my fists in concentration.
"Anna, come on, dinner is starting and you need to eat. Don't think I didn't notice you skipped lunch today." He said, scowling as he saw I was about to argue.
I rolled my eyes at him but stood up nonetheless. I gasped as soon as my hand met his. I heard his thoughts. I watched his eyes go wide as he heard my thoughts too.
'Tom? Can- can you hear me?' I thought, trying to relax.
He nodded, his eyes wide.
'H-how is this possible?' He thought, wide eyed.
I shrugged in response and let go of his cool hand.
Practically running in the direction of the Great Hall for dinner with him hot on my heals.