One of A Kind

Chapter 3: Revelations

"So, what made you faint like that?” Ron asked. The three of them were sitting in the compartment with the girl, who was still very pale.

"Ron, slow it down a bit. Give her some time," Hermione said, in a slightly condescending tone.

He rolled his eyes in response, but didn't say anything, and Harry noticed that their fingers were still laced together. Harry wanted to know the answer to that question as well, but at the moment another question was burning in his mind.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The girl turned toward him, looking amused. "Avril. Avril Nicholson."

"Are you happy to be going to Hogwarts?"

"I suppose so, but I don’t really know what to expect."

"What do you mean?" Hermione inquired.

"Well, I've heard a lot about Hogwarts, mostly good. But I've always had a tutor, never been in a school."

"Why?" Ron asked.

She looked down at her lap, a curtain of dark hair hiding her face. Hermione looked ready to explode with anticipation. She was leaning so far forward that Harry feared she might fall, chewing on her lower lip, her brown eyes wide.

"Well, er, I'm what Muggles call a psychic. I can read thoughts, as if I become part of someone else. Sometimes the visions become really intense, and I can faint. I suppose my parents thought that it would be dangerous to go to a school until I learned to better control it. And that didn't happen until this summer."

A million questions were swimming through Harry's head.

"Is that even possible?" he asked.

"I've read a bit about it, but mostly legends. I never thought I would meet someone who could actually do it!" Hermione interjected eagerly.

But it was Ron who voiced the most important concern.

"So, what did you see that made you pass out?"

*

Avril knew she had to answer. They were all so nice, and they had rescued her. But she didn't know what to say. Would Harry be mad that she had read his thoughts? Gathering all of her courage, she raised her face to meet his eyes, taking his hand. This action caused butterflies to begin fluttering in her stomach, a reaction she had not expected. Still, the feeling of his fingers laced through her own was comforting, and he didn't seem to mind, so she held on. When she spoke, it was to him only.

"I was inside your head. I saw your memories, your worst nightmares. Your worries about your godfather. Your anger at a man with beady, watery eyes. Your feelings for a girl with dark hair, and the pain you felt when she cried. A handsome boy whose death you witnessed. High, cold laughter, and a flash of green light followed by blinding pain."

She watched his eyes widen, pools of green, full of wonder and uncertainty.

"You, you could see all that?" he whispered in amazement.

“I could feel it.”

 She silently begged him to believe her, and not to run from her. She knew only a fraction of the pain he suffered through. And judging from the expression on his friends' faces, he suffered in silence.

*

Harry felt as if his heart had stopped when Avril looked into his eyes and took his hand. Her eyes were pools of clear blue, many secrets hidden in their depths. She spoke to him alone, her voice filled with emotion. He felt as if she were laying his whole life before them, for the world to see. As she spoke, tears shimmered in her eyes, and he knew that she had felt his pain. Hermione and Ron exchanged worried glances. Even after Avril stopped describing her visions, her words hung in the air. She searched his eyes, and he tightened his grip on her hand. Somehow, that was the answer she had been looking for. She smiled warmly at him, a single tear cascading down her face. All was silent for what seemed to be an eternity.

"Harry, why didn't you tell us you were feeling all that?" Hermione asked, and he could tell by her tone that she, too, was crying. He felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

"I – I couldn't," he whispered.

Hermione's lip trembled as tears silently streamed down her cheeks. Suddenly, Ron dropped her hand and shot to his feet, his face crimson with anger.

"WHY NOT? Why couldn't you tell your best friends? Oh, right, The Heroic Harry Potter deals with everything by himself. What about all that we've gone through with you?" he shouted, as Hermione looked on in silence.

Harry kept his eyes on Ron. What Ron was saying made sense, and he knew it. The words cut him to the core as he thought of his first year at Hogwarts, when they had endangered themselves to help him rescue the Sorcerers Stone.

"I know I should have told you," he said through gritted teeth. "But since the last task, we've all had to deal with a lot. There have been attacks, deaths, and you have both been worried sick about your families. I didn't want to give you more to worry about."

When Ron spoke again, his voice was softer, tinged with annoyance.

"We have been worried mostly about you, you idiot. You closed yourself off, and we were worried about you. The only person you would talk to was Ginny."

Harry's mind suddenly filled with images of Ginny, her brown eyes full of warmth as she sat with him, her brilliant red hair falling onto her face, her hand resting lightly on his arm. She was no longer the shy, somewhat annoying girl who had adored him. She was beautiful, kind, and mature.

He was drawn away from his thoughts as he felt Avril's fingers slip away from his. She was gazing at him knowingly, as if she had just realized something she should have seen before. But before he could ask why, the door slid open, revealing Ginny and Neville.

"You guys had better be changing into your robes. We should be at school in a few minutes," Ginny said, glancing toward Harry and smiling. When her eyes landed on Avril, her eyebrows shot up in confusion. She moved toward them uncertainly, extending a hand toward Avril.

"Ginny Weasley," she said.

"Avril Nicholson. I take it you are Ron's sister," Avril replied curtly, but did not shake Ginny's hand.

"Well, we have to be getting back to our compartment," Ginny said quickly, throwing a bewildered look at Harry before grabbing Neville's arm and dragging him out.

*

A short while later, they arrived at Hogwarts. Avril tried to take in every detail, but found it to be impossible. The castle was huge and beautiful. When she entered the Great Hall, she gazed at the ceiling in awe. It was enchanting to look like the night sky, thousands of stars glittering like diamonds against a sheet of black satin. She walked slowly to avoid tripping over anyone, as she was hardly paying attention to where she was going. A voice from her left said,

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?"

"It's amazing! I've never seen anything like it," she replied, her eyes sweeping over the ceiling once more before turning to identify the speaker.

She felt a surge of anger as she recognized the scarlet hair, brown eyes, and warm smile of Ginny Weasley. Avril was really beginning to like Harry, and she had thought he liked her too. But Avril knew of his feelings for Ginny, even if he didn't. On the train, she had seen Ginny's face in Harry's mind, and felt the emotions connected to the images. She knew that Ginny was not to blame, but it was clear that Ginny had the same feelings for him, and Avril was jealous. Without another word, she ventured off to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione, leaving Ginny behind.