Devin woke up in bed the next morning weighted down with exhaustion and the familiar shadow of depression. Her gaze drifted toward the window, letting her know that it was quite late and she'd missed breakfast and the first half of whatever classes the students were taking before lunch. She only had her Sixth Years in the afternoon so there was no concern there but what happened the night before made her turn and groan loudly into her pillow.

What was I thinking? I know McGonagall pissed me off but smoking in the tower? Not latching the door? Merlin, I was lucky a student or fucking Dumbledore himself hadn't walked in. She sighed heavily, pushing herself up onto her elbows and dragging a hand through her hair; wincing when her fingers caught on a knot. Not to mention the shit I said about Sirius Black in front of Remus. My Sight has the worst possible timing. She frowned lightly, brows furrowed in thought.

"He didn't notice, did he?"

She couldn't be sure. The room was smokey but he'd opened a window. It could have easily been passed off as a drug-induced mania or something of the sort but surely anyone with eyes could tell something was going on. She only knew from her relatives and what Sybill had said about what her own visions and prophecies were like. Silvery, clouded eyes, possible voice changes, and unusual actions all seemed like painfully obvious signs but if he knew, then why wasn't he or someone else here demanding answers? Dumbledore would certainly call her to his office if he knew.

She shook her head of the thought for now, getting up and hoping that she might at least apologize to Remus for how she'd acted the night before. She should have been more careful as to where she was smoking and shouldn't have said what she did about Sirius Black when her only experience with him was a single act of bullying. Whether Remus thought he was guilty or not, it wasn't her place to judge him for not acting on it.

So, she got up and showered, washing away some of the weight holding her back after her breakdown about Sybill—something else she would have to apologize for—and got dressed and ready for the rest of the day. By the time she had finished the bell had rung to dismiss the children for lunch and she made her way to the Great Hall herself. Once seated, she was grateful for the simple potato soup and bread given to her by the house elves; her stomach a bit sensitive with the effects of the late-night smoking session lingering slightly. She had just started to eat when the other professors began to filter in.

"Devin! We missed you at breakfast," Sprout commented as she sat beside Minerva who gave her a small look.

"Apologies about my comments before," she said, mildly surprising Devin. "I hadn't meant to be disrespectful, as the others have informed me I was. I… only meant to praise you on your teaching methods. Death omens aren't something children should be worried about."

She cleared her throat awkwardly, unused to apologizing, and sipping her tea as a distraction while Devin slowly turned back to her meal.

"Right… Thank you, I suppose."

"Professor Lupin!" Sprout called then, waving over the man who had just entered and drawing Devin's gaze toward him. "Come! We've saved you a seat just beside me."

It was beside Devin as well, who shifted her chair over slightly to offer him a little more room. The urge to say something bubbled up in her throat but she swallowed it back. Sprout was already getting nosey with the two of them and if Madam Pomfrey heard about what she'd been doing then she would never hear the end of it. She'd have to get him by himself somehow and hope she just ran into him. As it was, he seemed to be pointedly ignoring her and chatted away with Sprout and the others, leaving her to silently eat on his other side.

It hurt a little but Devin mentally scolded herself for feeling such a thing. She never planned on staying in England long and she wanted to keep her distance. She hadn't expected to enjoy Remus's company already and a part of her was… scared to build a connection again after so long of being alone. Alone kept her safe, kept others safe, and if Voldemort really was coming back then making friends right now was the last thing she wanted to do. The thought made her food taste like ash and begrudgingly, she abandoned the rest of it and quietly excused herself from the table, not seeing Remus's eyes catch on her back and watch her go.

"Did things not go well last night?" Sprout asked, easily seeing how he'd become distracted from their conversation the moment Devin had gotten up to leave.

"Hm? Oh, um…" Remus rubbed the back of his neck, quickly trying to come up with something to say that wouldn't give away anything personal. "She was just… upset, is all. I don't want to say anything I shouldn't."

"Oh, of course, dear," she waved off with a small smile. "I'm sure she has a lot she doesn't want to share. As long as she has someone to talk to."

He wasn't sure how to explain that she wasn't exactly telling him anything either but let the subject drop for now. After last night, he had a lot to think about. He was beginning to look into Sirius's case again—if one could call it a case when the man was thrown into Azkaban without trial—and made sure he gave her some space during their meal. He was certain she didn't want the other professors being nosey so he was fine letting her each lunch in peace while he distracted them. He still wanted to talk with her though, to at least apologize for not being more open about what she'd been saying and for reacting how he did. He had questions too but he would hold off on that. She had been right about one thing, they didn't know each other very well and while he wanted to amend that, he knew pushing into her past wouldn't be the way to do it.

Unfortunately, for the next several weeks, neither Devin nor Remus got around to speaking about what happened that one evening. Classes got in the way, they weren't scheduled on patrol together for some time, and neither had managed to gather the courage to apologize to the other. They'd been tiptoeing around each other for a while and the other professors were starting to murmur behind their backs about what may have happened.

"Do you think they had a fight?" Madam Pomfrey questioned one morning when Devin had slipped out quickly after a cup of coffee and Remus had sighed before leaving himself.

"They've been like this since Devin ran off almost a month ago," Sprout mused with a small, solemn frown. "He just went to check on her. I'm not sure what could have happened."

Filius hummed, rubbing at his head. "Surely it's just a matter of speaking about it. Why have they not?"

Minerva huffed, mildly annoyed that the younger professors were all they talked about at meals lately. "They're both avoiding it. Callahan is too closed off and Remus is too skittish. They'll be dancing around each other for months at this rate."

Filius clapped then. "Halloween is coming up! Perhaps we can help!"

"I don't think we should be meddling," Sinistra muttered, plucking at the food on her plate. "We'll have enough to deal with as the holidays come up. What are we going to do? Stuff them in a cupboard?"

Sprout turned with eager eyes. "Can we? Would that be wrong?"

Minerva groaned, slapping a hand to her face. "Of course, it would be wrong. They're not a couple of prepubescent teens, Pomona."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, can't have any fun now can we?"

There was the loud sound of a chair being pulled out and their eyes went to a rather annoyed and disgruntled Snape as he glared at them all.

"Don't you have lessons to teach instead of gossiping like a group of schoolchildren?" He spat, storming off as the group awkwardly shifted in their seats and Filius was the first to get up.

"R-Right. Yes. I-I do have a lesson I need to prepare for."

"I do as well," Minerva muttered, giving Sprout a pointed look. "No. Cupboards."

Sprout just wrinkled her nose.

October was turning out to be the worst month, as it often was for Devin. At this point, her lessons had been going well but despite what she'd told her students, a few had gotten bad omens and were subsequently dealing with problems they then blamed on their readings. Lavender Brown had one, explaining that something she was dreading would happen and on the 16th, her rabbit at home had been killed by a fox. She was inconsolable and had to be given some time outside of Divination to get over it. Devin had almost expected her to drop it completely, which would've been a shame as she could tell the young witch had some gift of the Sight, but instead had taken a class period off to stay in her dorm. Parvati had been the one to tell her upon requesting the homework for the girl.

She wasn't the only issue in class though. Some boys in the Slytherin group of fourth years had gotten out of hand with the Gryffindor students and were given a fair warning before she would remove them from her lessons entirely. That added to the near brawl she had with a pair of Ravenclaw girls over a prediction about love, over a third of the students having dropped the course, and two-thirds of the remaining students having little to no interest in the course anymore and she was struggling to see the supposed joy that Sybill had promised. She knew it wasn't all bad and that a part of her depressed feelings about the situation was a mixture of what happened with Remus and the anniversary of her son's death coming up.

The worst part was, she'd not been sleeping well for weeks. Her nights were riddled with Sights and nightmares of the past. There were the usual ones—

Deep amber eyes.

A flash of bloody fangs.

The cry of a child.

—and then there were others. The Prophecy, Sirius Black scampering through the forest on the run from Dementors or his long years in Azkaban, Harry Potter's parents dying, and the uncontrolled sobs of a man in love. Then, ones that hadn't quite been explained. A student wandering the halls of Hogwarts, searching for secret passages and smiling with a small group of friends. A deer, a rat, and a dog sneaking off in the middle of the night and disappearing under the Whomping Willow. A large boarded-up home, falling apart, echoing with the screams and howls of someone in pain.

They didn't make sense to her but Sights rarely ever did. The issue was how frequently they were happening and the toll it was taking on her. Madam Pomfrey had noticed her pale features and offered her services again but Dreamless Sleep was addictive and Devin knew that it wouldn't help much. It only made the Sights more potent after she woke up, much like trying to hold them back. It was stress, mostly, she was sure. She needed to speak with Remus about what happened still—she was stunned no one had asked about her Sights or the opium use yet—but the longer this dragged on, the more reluctance she felt.

Keeping her distance was for the best, even if she didn't like it, even if Remus was… nice and kind and friendly. The first friend she felt like she'd had in years, if at all. She wished life could be so easy. She wished she didn't have to worry about Dark Lords, war, prophecies, and Sights. She wished that she didn't have to be so alone all the time… and she missed her son. Her little boy taken too soon by a hungry beast. It was only an ironic twist of fate that it had happened the night of Halloween. She should be celebrating Samhain like Sybill used to do. They would meet up in secret during the Halloween feast and have a small celebration of their own for those who've passed away, sometimes sneaking out to the ground to watch fairies and pixies dance on the edges of the lake. That's what it was meant for, to celebrate the passing of the year and think of their loved ones while the boundary between life and death was more easily crossed. Death was natural and she could tell herself that as much as she wanted but it didn't make it any easier.

The one nice thing was that Halloween this year was the same day as the first Hogsmeade trip for the Third-Years. Devin only had a lesson with her Seventh-Years that morning and the rest of the day off so she had planned to drop by Hogsmeade herself for a drink the day after and gather a few things to remember her son by. He loved sweets and she could do with getting out of the stuffy castle which had only grown worse with each passing day. With her Sight so active, the magic in the walls practically oozed memories which only served to make her feel nauseous the whole way to her classroom. Thankfully, the Seventh-Years were understanding and she had them doing review work while she leaned back in her seat with a cool cloth over her face. They were old enough to do their work without disturbing her unless they needed something and she let them leave early for lunch. A few offered her small "Feel better" comments as they left but she remained where she was.

She had started to doze off after a few minutes; the lack of sleep getting to her now. For a moment, she was blissfully drifting in a sort of half-conscious state. Before she could fully fall asleep though, the haze shifted into a deep fog.

She was back in the forest again, morning dew dusting the leaves of nearby shrubs and grass with a low fog settled over the lake. She was hunkered low under a bush, stomach tight with hunger that drew forth nausea from how severely emaciated she was. Even in this form, she knew she probably looked terrible. Sleeping curled up in the dirt was hardly comfortable with how bony her hips and joints were. She'd tried to make it more manageable with a tattered cloak and leaves but there was only so much she—he could do.

Sirius Black lifted his head, peering through the leaves to look up at the castle just across the lake. How he longed to be in there warming up in front of a fire, a free man but he couldn't. Not yet and perhaps not ever if his plan turned out wrong. It probably would too. He was rarely the brains behind their pranks, though he did have his moments. Remus was the one who thought everything out well, made sure things were foolproof but… Well, his friend was hardly going to help him now, was he? He'd be lucky if Remus didn't hate him as much as Harry did. Surely, they did. He'd killed Lily and James. Might as well have, anyway. He knew the actual culprit was just sitting in that castle now living it up as some pet and the thought made him growl.

He'd have his chance. The time for him to act was soon and with Halloween and the holidays, he had every opportunity to take a risk. He might end up back in Azkaban but so long as he got his revenge on that rat he'd be at least a little at peace.

He shivered then, bolting to his feet as a chilling cold that wasn't the fog settled over the forest grounds. He felt them before he saw them and was quick to duck back down under his bush cautiously as the Dementors floated toward his hiding place. His heart raced with a hint of panic. They shouldn't know he was there. They couldn't know and he clenched his eyes shut, trying to clear his mind and focus on the animal instincts of a dog over his own waning sanity. It was the only thing to keep him safe and he begged and pleaded with whatever deity was out there that it would work as the dark cloak of a Dementor shifted millimeters from touching his nose—

"—vin. Devin!"

Her shoulder was shaken and the cloth over her face fell to the floor as her foggy gaze shifted toward the shadowed figure over her. Adrenalin surged through her and she was up in an instant, wand out in a shaking hand and aimed at their jugular before either of them knew what was happening. The spell for a Patronus was on the tip of her tongue, mind still caught in the Sight with the chill of a Dementor rolling over her skin, and it took a second for her vision to start clearing.

"Devin," the person at the other end of her wand spoke slowly, voice calm and quiet like the slow drip of honey to her frazzled senses. "It's okay. Nothing is happening. You're safe. I swear."

Her hand was shaking near-violently now as she blinked hard, struggling to get her vision to focus properly as the Sight showed the Dementors drifting off into the trees that were shifting back into bookshelves in her office. Bushes turned to desks and the scent of the forest turned to the smell of the mint tea that had been served to her Seventh-Years not too long ago. The Dementor she thought had discovered her was instead the one man she had both hoped to see and hoped she wouldn't see for a long while yet. Remus Lupin stood in front of her with his hands raised in silent surrender as her wand pressed lightly to his throat.

Their gazes clashed, deep, ocean blue meeting her near silvery eyes as they slowly returned to green. There was no fooling him now. If he hadn't known about her Sights before, this was obvious proof that something was going on and she would have to tell him. Her energy was zapped from her instantly, sending her tumbling toward the ground as he lunged forward and grabbed her, helping her into her seat. He scooped her abandoned wand up from off the floor, placing it on her desk as he knelt before her and grabbed her gloved wrist, checking her pulse in concern.

"Devin, are you alright?" He asked, wincing because the answer was a bit obvious given how pale she was and the shaking hand she brought up to her head. "I came to check on you. You weren't at lunch and Poppy was worried. The Seventh-Years said you weren't well."

The second he'd heard he practically ran to her classroom after taking a potion from Madam Pomfrey and grabbing some food from the kitchens. She'd been running from him nearly every meal when she had the chance so he knew she wasn't eating right but this looked far worse. Dark bags lined her eyes and she was pale as a ghost, covered in a cold sweat and looking haunted and jumpy. He didn't expect her to explain everything. Even he had secrets he didn't want people to know, much less someone he had only known for two months, but this was something she needed to talk about.

"Devin," he breathed, tightening his grip on her hand. "I told you to tell me. I-I know you might not trust me but you can't keep ending up like this. If you can't tell me, then Poppy or Dumble—"

He regretted even starting to say the man's name when she tried to jerk back away from him. He held firm though, grasping her other hand when it had gone to try and pry his off.

"I won't tell them," he said firmly. "Not a word, if that's what you want. I just ask that you talk to me, to someone—anyone."

She was silent and unmoving, cautious as ever and he let out a heavy sigh, releasing her and standing, being sure to take a step back to give her space since it seemed that's what she wanted in the end. She'd been running since he'd seen her that night and he knew when someone was trying to cut him off. It hurt and he had thought that they might have ended up as friends but if that wasn't what she wanted then he would respect that. Who honestly wanted to be friends with a monster like him?

"I'm sorry," he said then, keeping hold of her wary green eyes. "About that night. I shouldn't have said anything when I didn't understand your situation. I… still don't approve of the drug use but I understand that it's not up to me and what you said about… about Sirius…"

He reached up and pulled a hand through his hair. This had been the hardest pill to swallow and had taken him some time to get over it without being angry with Devin but it needed to be said.

"You were right. I should have done my own research, looked into things more without just… just following the words of someone I idolized. Already, I've found things that… that aren't quite right and I know it's too late to do anything really but—"

"W-Wait," Devin croaked out, a hand on her head as she tried to understand what was happening. "You're… You're apologizing because I was… I-I was being a twat?"

Remus blinked, confused and went to say something but she cut him off and kept going.

"I-I said so much shit. I got upset because you came in here knowing nothing about me when I-I wouldn't even let you. Then, I went and talked about Black like I had some say? L-Like I knew who he was when I don't even know a fourth of it! I had one interaction with him in school a-and these damn visions that just won't leave me alone and I acted like a fucking prick telling you that you're a shitty friend and what do you know and—"

"H-Hold on," Remus stopped her, drawing her panicked gaze to his. "Visions? That was… You're a… Seer?"

Devin clenched her eyes shut and dropped her face into her hands with a long groan. "Stupid. Stupid fucking idiot. Pig-headed piece of hippogriff shit that can't keep your damn mouth shut to save your life. Should run into the forest and let the Dementors take your fucking soul for being such a moron."

"Devin?" Remus asked quietly, struggling to understand what was happening himself now.

From all appearances, they had both apologized for saying wrong things the night of their fight. However, he was now being told that Devin had visions about something. Sirius perhaps? Remus was trying to connect the dots and remembered more and more instances that were beginning to add up and make sense.

She was the new Divination professor who had a good relationship with Trelawney; one where she was taught everything she knew from the seemingly crazed and eccentric woman. She had nearly fallen out of the tower in what he had thought was a drug-induced haze but her eyes had that milkiness to them, appearing almost silver like just a moment ago. There was no smoke to blame now and she hadn't been smoking since then, as far as he knew. Then, there was what she said about Sirius's innocence, her suspicion toward Dumbledore, her secretiveness, the smoking to dull her senses and cope. Because that's all drugs were in the end, a coping mechanism for what was bothering people and if she was a Seer, then things were so much worse than Remus had known.

"I'm sorry," Devin murmured into her hands as her fingers curled to grip tightly at her hair. "Y-You can't tell anyone. Please. Not even Dumbledore. I-If he finds out…"

Remus swallowed thickly, remembering what Devin had said about the Headmaster and how Sybill Trelawney was treated. Devin lifted her head with a broken, twisted sort of smile.

"I-I-I don't know what I'll do."

He had an idea. His mind flickered back to the panic he felt when he watched her climb up the window sill that night a few weeks ago. He didn't want to see that happen again.

"Okay," he breathed, before clearing his throat and speaking louder with a bit more confidence. "I won't. I won't tell anyone. Not even Dumbledore. I won't speak of it at all unless it's here with you."

She nodded, though she hardly looked reassured, just… resigned, almost. As if he would leave there now and tell everyone, and she was just willing to accept whatever came. He knew how that felt. He remembered when Sirius, James, and Peter had found out about what he was and how he expected the entire school to find out even after they had sworn they would keep it secret. He was so alone and so untrusting back then, and here Devin was in the same position.

"I… I know I can't exactly convince you but… I've been where you are. I know it's hard to trust anyone with a secret like that and I'm sorry it had to happen this way but…" He chewed on his next words carefully. "But I-I… I appreciate you telling me. About that and… and about Sirius."

She glanced up at him again, looking drained once more but a hint of curiosity drew her emerald eyes to his.

"He's… innocent, isn't he?" Remus murmured, bringing a hand to his mouth as that realization sank in.

Devin had argued with him about his innocence, bringing up excellent points that he hadn't even thought to look at because of his unending trust in Dumbledore due to what the man had done for him. Devin had pushed him—Sirius's good friend—toward the truth after suffering for it. Because she had suffered hadn't she? He remembered her eating chocolate for a few meals and mentioning the Dementors who were too far away to bother her, but for Sirius, they were right there. She'd Seen something about Sirius and she didn't even have to tell him but she did. Drugged up or not, she'd given away what she was so he could know and the thought brought tears to his eyes.

"H-He's innocent," he choked before relieved laughter escaped him and he smiled crookedly at Devin. "Thank you. I-I don't… Just… thank you."

Devin looked confused if not a bit uncertain. She'd never been thanked for what she'd seen. Not that she told many people but Remus was practically in tears because she had exposed what she was and knowing she'd Seen that Sirius was innocent meant so much to him. She wasn't sure what to say or do now. She was terrible on a normal day trying to socialize but dealing with emotional people was definitely not her strong suit, especially with how mentally frazzled she was today.

She went to tell him not to thank her, that she hadn't done anything and her visions weren't always accurate—which wasn't true by a long shot but she knew one day they would be and she desperately wished that day would come sooner. Yet, she was interrupted by the rumble of her stomach. She wrapped a hand around her gut, clenching the fabric of her shirt and sheepishly turning away as Remus swiped his eyes clear and let out a small chuckle.

"Sorry. Sorry, I should've said. I, um, brought you food from lunch," he explained, gesturing to the plate of sandwiches and fruit he'd brought with him along with a small corked vial. "And Poppy demanded I give you an Invigoration Draught. She expects to see you at dinner, I'm sure."

Still rather dazed by what had just happened, she just nodded and uncorked the vial, downing it instantly and grimacing at the taste even if it had helped a little with the lingering chill in her bones and the haze in her head. She then grabbed a sandwich and paused as Remus walked back around her desk to the other side and vanished the tea in the nearby kettle to make a fresh pot.

"I…" Devin croaked, clearing her throat and trying to organize her thoughts a bit more before trying again. "I'm… sorry. For not telling you sooner," she muttered. "About Black."

Remus shook his head, still having a small smile on his face. "No. You had your reasons. I just… I'm just glad to know. It's been…" His smile faltered. "I've felt so betrayed for so long… Merlin, I don't even want to know how he feels."

Devin glanced down at her sandwich and her mouth moved before she knew what she was doing. "He thinks you hate him."

Remus looked up and she winced after taking a bite, realizing how that must have sounded and struggling to swallow the food in her mouth to offer another apology. This was why she didn't tell people about what she Saw. She would always screw it up.

"I… can't say I'm surprised," Remus muttered, returning his gaze to the kettle as he used his wand to heat it. "Everyone turned against him so quickly. The war changed a lot of people and I wasn't there for them in the end. He should hate me, if anything. As you said, I have hardly been a friend to him as of late."

"I didn't mean—"

Devin scrambled to try and fix this. She felt it was her fault Remus was being so hard on himself and the guilt from the last few weeks continued to twist in her gut.

"H-He doesn't hate you!" She blurted out, nearly making him drop the kettle in surprise as she dragged a hand through her hair in frustration. "Fuck. I just—He's been thinking about you. I know that. I-I don't get the feeling that he's upset or anything. It's complicated. Seeing isn't… I-It's not all-knowing or anything. I only get glimpses but he's not—From what I've Seen, he's not—"

Remus lightly grabbed her hand before she could continue to tug at her hair, stopping her with a kind smile of understanding. "It's okay. I understand… Sort of, anyway. I know it's not easy."

Devin slowly untangled her fingers as he carefully pulled her hand away, a bitter sort of smile on her face. "You don't know the half of it."

And for half a second, she wanted to spill everything to him. How Seeing actually works, how she was terrified of getting found out by Death Eaters or Dumbledore; who would most certainly lock her away in the tower like Sybill if he found out. She wanted to explain the sleepless nights, the Sights interrupting everything she tried to do, how Hogwarts made it worse, Halloween even more so, and how the anniversary of her son's death filled every shadow and dream with those of a snarling beast. She'd never been able to tell anyone anything other than when she'd first met Sybill and it all had been piling up, bubbling to the surface about ready to burst.

But she bit her tongue. She couldn't. Not yet. It was too quick, too soon. They'd known each other for two months and it wasn't enough. She didn't actually know much about him and was afraid to touch him with her bare hands and find out. She'd spilled one of her biggest secrets to him but she didn't even know what his hobbies were, his favorite subjects, what food he liked or how he took his tea. Never mind what his own secret was—she felt that she was missing something very important that kept slipping her by—but she couldn't be spilling her guts out to an almost stranger. An almost friend, if she was lucky.

So, instead, she swallowed back the torrent of words that wished to pour from her mouth and turned her solemn gaze back to her plate for another bite of her sandwich. Then, a cup and saucer were placed before her and she lifted her gaze to Remus as he offered her a small smile.

"I'd like to, if you have time," he said softly. "When you're ready. I… I know it seems silly but… you remind me of him sometimes. Sirius. You'd get along I think."

Devin swallowed her mouthful of food with a raised brow at that. "You're fucking joking."

Remus just laughed and Devin too managed a smile in return, feeling a portion of the weight she'd been carrying around fall away. Perhaps… Perhaps Halloween won't be so bad after all.